The Story of the Diamond Dragoon
by Solid Shark
Summary: The story of a ninja who gets caught up in the events of The Legend of Dragoon. Rated PG13 for violence. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1: Night of the Assassins

I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, any of the characters except Ian Takahari, or the Choose You Own Adventure book I got the concept of _kuji_ from.

It was late at night when the assassins came. I was asleep at the family dojo when the sound of someone creeping up to the bed awakened me. As a ninja, I had been trained to wake up at the slightest unusual sound, and other family members would know not to sneak up to me.

The assassin was dead before he realized I was awake, as I also kept my katana near at hand at all times. After lowering the limp, bleeding body slowly to the floor, I performed an advanced _kuji_ technique to teleport to the dojo's roof. There I saw several more assassins creeping clumsily to a window on the lower floor of the building.

Enraged, but keeping my senses, I cast a spell turning the clumsy assassins to ice, then threw a handful of shurikens to shatter them.

Something very bad was going on. Assassins rarely managed to get this close to a family of ninjas unnoticed. One had almost snuck up on me, and if my parents had slept just a little heavier than usual…

I whirled, drew my katana, and leapt through the nearest window. What I saw confirmed my worst fears: bodies strewn on the study floor, enough to account for the entire family.

Except for me. The assassins either thought the one in my room had gotten me, or else the assassin who had spotted me hadn't had a chance to tell anyone. I didn't care which.

I vaulted to the upper level of the room. "You assassin scum!"

They looked up in shock. "We missed one!?"

"Unlucky for you. Let's see how you do in a fair fight!" True, it was about ten on one, but they were clearly amateurs.

Without waiting for a reply, I somersaulted through the air to land behind them. Dodging a slash at my head, I swept my sword around to decapitate the man who attempted it.

"Pathetic." I parried a leg cut, knocked the man's sword out of his hand, and stabbed him through the heart. Noting another man readying a knife for throwing, I raised my left hand and moved it through a _kuji_ pattern. The result was immediate: he dropped dead from heart failure, the knife clattering beside him.

"That's three of you, and I haven't even been touched. You want to give up? It won't save you, but it won't be as painful." One of the remaining seven rushed at me. "Guess not." Using another _kuji_ technique, things began to get bizarre. As far as the assassins could tell, there were suddenly seven of me. They at first apparently dismissed it as an illusion, but in the last moment, they realized that the "illusions" were actually connecting.

When the bodies collapsed to the floor, I allowed myself to rest. The technique I had used had increased my speed to an incredible velocity. The problem was that it used my own energy reserves, and they were almost exhausted.

Looking around the dojo in grief, I knew it was time to leave. I retrieved the Scroll of the Nine Hands and a few other essentials, then left without looking back.

After a few hours on the run, I finally stopped by some bushes to sleep. When I awoke, I was in another world…

Note: Please read and review.


	2. Chapter 2: Arrival at Endiness

I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, any of the characters except Ian Takahari, or the Choose Your Own Adventure book I got the concept of _kuji_from.

I awoke, stuck in a tree, with no idea where I was or how I got there. The last thing I remembered was going to sleep in the bushes after fleeing the dojo, and I was pretty sure I'd have noticed going to sleep in a tree, instead. Besides which, I didn't recognize the area. And I was certain that whatever that kiwi-thing beneath the tree was, it wasn't from Earth. The only conclusion I could come to was that, somehow, I was on another planet. This conclusion bothered me somewhat, but I decided that I could worry about it later. For now, I had to get out of the tree and get my bearings.

I drew my sword and cut the branches holding me in the tree. Of course, I neglected to consider the obvious. Thus, I tumbled head-first out of the tree and knocked myself unconscious.

* * *

  


When I came to, three people were standing over me, one with a broadsword, one with a spear, and the third with a bow. "You okay?" the one with the sword asked.

"Yeah. Just hit my head, gettin' outta the tree. By the way, where in blazes am I?"

He frowned. "You don't know? This is the Prairie, not far from Hellena Prison. We just got away from there."

"Ah. Sorry, but I don't even know how I got here. The name's Ian Takahari, by the way."

"I'm Dart, the guy with the spear is Lavitz, and the girl is Shana. The Hellena wardens will be here any minute, so we have to get going. You might want to come with us."

"Thanks. I don't know where else to go, anyway. And if the wardens get too close, well, I can take care of them." Brandishing my sword, I stood up. "Well, then, let's go." We headed off to the north.

Unfortunately, our escape was cut short by a stream across the path. "We'll have to find another way," Dart said.

We found a shack where Lavitz's wound could be attended to. "So," I asked, "just what is going on around here, anyway?"

Lavitz answered. "Currently, our Kingdom of Basil is at war with Imperial Sandora."

Dart looked up. "Why was the truce broken?"

"Sandora has obtained a Dragon. This has made them bold."

"Dragon!?" Dart looked surprised.

"Do you know something about it?" Lavitz asked him.

"I was attacked by it on my way to Seles. A passing warrior saved me."

I drew my sword and began cleaning it. "Let's try to avoid it, shall we? My sword may be sharp, but I'm not sure that it's that sharp."

"What kind of sword is that, anyway?" Dart asked. "I've never seen anything like it."

"It's called a katana. Used by the ninja and the Samurai, it is a deadly weapon. Mine is a ninja blade, handed down by my family for generations. It was forged by ancient swordsmiths several centuries ago. I myself am a ninja. Now, though, I am all that remains of the family. It's just as well that I wound up here. There was nothing left for me where I came from. I'll throw in my lot with Basil. If Sandora runs a place like Hellena, I would like nothing more than to stop them." I sheathed my sword. "We should bring that ax with us when we leave. It could come in handy."

Then Shana spoke up. "Where have you been all this time, Dart?"

"I was on a journey for revenge. To kill the one who destroyed my home."

"The Black Monster?"

He nodded. "He destroyed my hometown eighteen years ago."

"Sounds like as good a reason for revenge as any," I said. "Let's get going, shall we?" We left the shack and headed a little ways north, where we found a tree on the verge of falling over. Dart got the idea to chop it down and use it as a bridge across the river. Unfortunately, the tree fell into the river right after being cut down. We headed back to the river to find another way.

When we got back to the river, though, we saw the tree heading downstream, where it lodged against some rocks right in front of us. I shook my head. "How ironic." We crossed the stream and headed out of the Prairie.

* * *

  


Several hours later, we entered the nearby Limestone Cave. The place was dark, dank, and numerous other pejoratives related to caves. In short, it was an unpleasant hole in the mountain. Nevertheless, it was fastest, safest way to Bale. The trip was long, boring, and uneventful. Uneventful, that is, until we reached the guardian of the cave. It looked like a cross between a snake and a worm. It was also poisonous.

I drew my sword. "Let's take it!" On the heals of that statement, I charged it. "Dancing Death!" A series of devastating stabs, slashes, and chops nearly turned the creature to paste.

The others looked at me in awe. "What... was that?" Lavitz asked.

"It's a technique I developed a couple of years ago. It's very dangerous, which is why I never used it when sparring in training. It's generally considered a bad thing to kill your training partner. Causes all sorts of problems. Now, how's about we get out of here and go someplace more civilized?"

As we were leaving, however, the guardian abruptly reared up and lunged at Shana. Just before it could hit her, though, something strange happened: light came from her forehead, and the thing disintegrated. We looked at her in shock. "What just happened?" I asked. Shana looked as shocked and confused as the rest of us.

"I don't know!" she said, looking frightened.

"Let's worry about it later, okay? Like maybe when we're in a place without monsters?" We exited the Limestone Cave and headed for Bale.

* * *

  


When we arrived in Bale, I split off from the others to go to a weapons shop. My katana needed to be sharpened, and I had run out of oil back at the Prairie.

I met up with the others at the castle. We were going to meet with King Albert, who was also Lavitz's best friend. I made sure to tuck a small scroll in my gear, since I had nearly lost it going through the Limestone Cave. I had no intention of revealing it to Dart, Lavitz, and Shana yet, but the Scroll of the Nine Hands was very important. It was, after all, the basis of many of my skills.

Presently we arrived at the throne room. The king stood up at the sight of Lavitz. "Lavitz! I'm glad to see you safe! When I heard that your knighthood had been attacked, I was worried."

"My knighthood was destroyed, Your Highness. The few survivors were taken to Hellena prison, where the others were killed. I managed to escape with the help of this man," indicating Dart, "and, after rescuing Shana, here, we fled to the Prairie, where we encountered this young man," gesturing to me, "who had no idea how he had gotten there. From there, we went through the Limestone Cave and came here. Ian, here, came in part to talk to Minister Noish."

I stepped forward. "Minister, I would like to ask you a question. I have heard since arriving that you know all the legends of Endiness. Is there any mention of anything that allow people to traverse between different worlds?" Dart, Lavitz, and Shana looked at me in shock. I had not told them what I intended to ask.

Noish looked surprised himself. "There are some legends on the matter, yes. Why do you ask?"

"Because I am from another world myself. I fled certain death last night, and when I awoke I was here. I have no idea how I got here, and I may choose not to return, but I want to know if there is at least a possibility of returning to my own world."

"Very well. Yes, there are mentions of such things in legend. In particular, there are distinct references to something called the Dark Mirror. It was supposed to have been a Wingly creation, but it is unclear as to whether it was real or simple legend. I am curious, though, as to why you would not want to return to your own world."

"Simple enough. Last night, my family was attacked and killed by a group of assassins of unknown intent. I'm still puzzled as to how they got in without being noticed, not to mention the fact that a group of petty assassins was capable of killing a family of swordsmen. I barely escaped with my life."

"How _did_you escape, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I killed them." I said, matter-of-factly. Noish looked mildly surprised at how casual I was about it, but made no comment.

The king thanked us and invited us to stay at the castle for the night. I did not sleep much, instead using a technique from the Scroll of the Nine Hands. The room around me began to fade, as I began to travel back in time, following my own past, so that I could see what had happened the previous night in my own world. It was going to be a long night...

I materialized on the roof of the dojo. Even though I saw the assassins, there was nothing I could do to stop them at this point in time, but in any case that was not my purpose here. I needed to see if there was any insignia on them, or any other distinguishing characteristics.

I realized with a start that the assassins were not Japanese. I hadn't noticed before I killed them because I was too busy trying to do just that, and afterwards, there wasn't enough left. But now, I noticed a patch on their shoulders that looked familiar.

I decided that it was time to return to the present, since I suspected that that insignia was from Endiness. I went through the spell again and returned to Bale. The next morning I was going to ask Lavitz if he recognized the insignia.

* * *

  


Upon awaking in the morning, I sought him out and described the emblem to him, claiming to have remembered it from the night of the attack. His face clouded over. "The assassins were from Sandora," he said.

"That's what I thought. The question is, how did they get there?"

"And why? Even if he knew about you, why would Emperor Doel attack you? Until you got here, you were no threat to him. Unless..."

"Unless what?" I demanded.

"Unless he knows something we don't. I'll have to talk to Noish again. I think there may be some ancient prophecy regarding this. It may refer to you."

"To me? Why?"

"I don't know. That's why I need to talk to Noish. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"Thanks." He went off in search of Noish.

* * *

  


When he returned he had a puzzled expression on his face. "What is it?" I asked him.

"Well," he said, "there is such a prophecy, though it doesn't refer to you by name. It's one of the Dragoon legends."

I nodded. Noish had spoken of the Dragoons the previous day. "But what does it have to do with me?"

"It say, 'When the man from another world appears seeking the Dark Mirror, the Diamond Dragon his servant shall become'. I don't know what that means, but it does lend credence to the existence of the Mirror. Doel probably knows of it, since he was interested in the ancient prophecies. Other than that, I'm as much in the dark as you."

I nodded, resigned. "Well, no sense worrying about it. Off to... what did you call it, Hoax?"

"Yeah. We need to support the knights there."

"Then let's go. Where are Dart and Shana?"

"Shopping for supplies, I think. We're supposed to meet them on the way out."

"Got it." We headed off to the town gate, linking up with Dart and Shana along the way.

* * *

  


We arrived at Hoax to find the place bustling with military activity, but no townspeople were in sight. Lavitz said that they had been evacuated days earlier, when Hoax ended up as the next place in the Sandorans' path.

Dart, Lavitz, and I were assigned to guard the wall. I was unconcerned about regular soldiers, but the Dragon made me somewhat nervous. As I had commented to Dart and the others back in the Prairie, I wasn't sure that my sword was sharp enough to take on a Dragon. I was still troubled by the prophecy Lavitz had uncovered. The Diamond Dragon sounded to me to have a very strong hide, given that diamonds were the hardest mineral known to man. On the other hand, it indicated that I would be its master.

I banished the thought and returned to guard duty.

* * *

  


That night, Dart, Lavitz, and I were standing guard when the owls fell silent. Then the sentry on the opposite wall called out a warning. Hoax was under attack.

When a group of Sandorans appeared on the ground behind us, I turned to Dart and Lavitz. "Go! I'll take care of things up here. Kill them all!" Dart nodded and they dropped off the wall.

I turned my attention to the enemy soldiers climbing the wall ahead of me. "You don't know what you're dealing with, buddy. Tornado!" I began spinning, whirling my blade around in circles. While I received numerous minor wounds, my attack swept them off the walls. By this time, Dart and Lavitz had gotten back to the wall, just in time to face a Sandoran elite. I laughed in his face. "Is this the best you can throw at us? You're pathetic. Dancing Death!" I charged the enemy, but the Sandoran wrapped his chain around me and flung me away. Painful for me as it was, the distraction cost him his life: Lavitz came up from behind and drove his spear through the Sandoran's chest.

Then we heard a shout from below. "G-G-Giganto!"

My head whipped around. "What!?" There was an enormous figure charging into the town, carrying an equally large ax. "What's that!?" I didn't wait around for an answer, but instead jumped down, followed by Dart and Lavitz.

I faced the giant unflinchingly. Then I charged, shouting as I went. "Shun Goku Satsu!" I slashed down, right to left, then reversed the stroke, sweeping the blade up, left to right. I followed up with a head-level cut, then chopped down. While I brought my sword back, I lashed out with my foot, then spun my sword in a 360 clockwise slice, which I reversed into a cut to the left, then back to the right, and finally I stabbed the Giganto in the chest.

It did a good deal of damage, but he retaliated by knocking me backwards, my sword flying in another direction. Just after I hit, I saw the giant standing over Dart, just about to chop him in half.

Then something came down from the sky: a woman in odd armor, with wings. She hovered, pointing her sword, which reminded me of a German rapier, at Dart. Then she spoke. "Wake up! Dragoon of the Red-Eye Dragon!"

Dart was engulfed in flames, and a burst of fire shot out at the Giganto. When the flames faded, Dart was standing there in armor like the woman's.

Just then, I passed out.

Author's note: Please read and review. Also, if anyone happens to know if _kuji_is a legend or not, I would be grateful if I could shorten the disclaimer.


	3. Chapter 3: The Diamond Dragon

I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, any of the characters except Ian Takahari, or the Choose Your Own Adventure book I got the concept of _kuji_ from.

When I woke up, I was in Hoax's inn. I noticed Dart was on the next bed over. The woman who had saved him from the Giganto was standing in the room as well, arguing with Shana and Lavitz.

"I should be thanked, so why do I have to be yelled at?" she asked. Moments later, Dart awoke, looking as if he recognized the woman.

"Shana, Lavitz, relax. This is the second time she's saved my life. She was the one who rescued me from the Dragon."

The woman relaxed somewhat. "My name is Rose. I was curious about the pendent you wear, the Dragoon Spirit."

"Is that why you saved him?" Shana asked.

"I was surprised myself. You remind me of my old friends. They, too, took control of their own destinies."

"Where are they now?"

"They're dead."

"Sorry." Shana apologized. I looked on, amused. One minute Shana was biting Rose's head off, the next she was apologizing for a faux pas.

Rose turned her attention to me. "Shana and Lavitz here tell me you're in a rather unique difficulty. Trapped in another world. There was a Wingly artifact that could cause such a transference. So, you are seeking the Dark Mirror?" There was something odd about her expression, a grimness, almost.

"Yes. I suspect that the Sandorans have it, as the assassins that attacked my home were Sandoran."

"Really. I wonder how they came upon it. It was thought to be destroyed in the Dragon Campaign." She turned back to Dart. "You posses the Dragoon Spirit of the Red-Eyed Dragon. The Dragoon Spirits give humans the powers of Dragons. I carry the Spirit of the Dark Dragon. I suspect that we will be dealing with another before long. You are aware of a certain prophecy, I assume?"

Dart nodded slowly. "You mean..."

"Yes. The Diamond Dragon. It has the strongest armor of all the Dragons, as it is covered in diamonds. Even the eyelids are Diamond. It makes up for its blindness during battle by using another sense: hearing. It sends out a pulse of sound that bounces off everything in the area, sending the Dragon a sound picture of the area. With that, it can effectively 'see' as well as or better than a human. The only time it is vulnerable is when it opens its mouth for a sound pulse. When it does, it's possible to stab up through the mouth, and, hopefully, hit the brain."

A knight rushed into the room. "Sir Lavitz! The Seventh Fort is under attack! The Dragon is there!"

"What!? Let's go!" Lavitz rushed out the building, the rest of us not far behind.

We left Hoax in a hurry, hoping to save at least some of the knights at the Seventh Fort. I had a feeling of impending doom, as if something momentous were about to occur. I decided not to mention this to the others, given that they had enough on their minds, but I was nervous nonetheless.

We found the Seventh Fort in chaos, with a handful of surviving knights battling with Sandorans. I felt a deep fury building, and, without conscious thought, my hands moved through an intricate pattern, utilizing the power of the Scroll of Nine Hands. After the last gesture, the area was filled with an enormous explosion, incinerating the Sandorans, but leaving the knights intact.

Rose looked at me in shock. "What did you just do!? Are you a Wingly!?"

I sighed. "I hadn't wanted to reveal this yet, but, given my loss of control, I suppose I have no choice. No, I'm not a Wingly, but I have been training for the last two years in the art of _kuji_. Most who have heard of it think it magic, but in reality it's simply a manipulation of energy. To be honest, I have no idea if the gestures are necessary, but the Scroll of the Nine Hands specifies certain specific hand movements to use these abilities."

"May I see this Scroll of the Nine Hands?"

"Certainly." I pulled it out of my pack. "I made sure to recover it before fleeing my home. Next to my sword, it is probably the most important artifact of the Rage Demon Art."

She looked it over. "Can anyone use these techniques?"

"With practice, yes. Once you know what you're doing, it's actually pretty easy. As you can see from the carnage, once you've practiced enough, the techniques become ingrained, usable without conscious thought."

Rose abruptly looked around. "The Green-Tusked Dragon, Feyrbrand, was not the only Dragon here. There are signs of a battle between two Dragons here. One was trying to protect the knights."

This news made me rather nervous. "Can you tell who the other Dragon was?" I was afraid to hear the answer.

"Yes." She looked right at me. "The Diamond Dragon. And it's coming back. I can hear it."

I groaned. "How long till it gets here?"

Rose didn't bother answering. We could hear its wings. Moments later, it appeared overhead. I looked at it grimly. "Well, guys, I guess this one is up to me. Stay back."

Dart began to protest, but I cut him off. "This thing's hide is made of diamonds, remember? Besides which, from what I've heard, I'm the one who has to take it on." I removed an object from my belt. "This should ruin its day." It was a small, home-made hand grenade. I looked around, waiting for an opening.

Before I had a chance, however, it lashed out with a clawed forefoot, catching me in the side of the face. I felt agony in my left eye, but I saw my chance and tossed the grenade into its mouth. Instinctively, it bit down on the bomb, instantly turning its head to gory mush.

Upon its death, a small, diamond-like sphere drifted over to me. "Is this what I think it is?" I asked Rose.

"Yes. It's the Dragoon Spirit of the Diamond Dragon. You are now the Diamond Dragoon, albeit one with only one eye."

"What?" I raised my hand to my face and immediately regretted it. My face was covered in blood, and my left eye was missing. The shock of the discovery, combined with the injury itself, caused me to pass out.

I awoke to find my face cleaned of the blood, and an eye patch covering the upper-left side of my face. I was lying in a semi-dry portion of the remains of the Seventh Fort. Dart and the others were keeping watch, looking concerned.

When I sat up, they turned, looking relieved. "You're awake!" Shana said. I found it to be possibly the most unnecessary statement I had ever heard, but I let it pass.

"Yeah, I'm awake. How am I doing, overall?"

"Fine, except for the eye," Dart said. "We gave you a healing potion, but I'm afraid the eye is gone for good. On the plus side, Rose says your Dragoon armor should be impervious to most weapons. Only magic blades and your own Dragoon sword should be able to penetrate it. Magic, of course, will affect you as much as the rest of us, but you don't have to worry about common soldiers."

"That's good news, at least. Am I well enough to travel?"

"Sure. The only major injury was your eye, after all."

"Then let's get going. Volcano Villude, here we come." We left the Seventh Fort to the dead, and continued to the volcano.

When we arrived there, I rather wished that we had the Dragoon of Water with us. It was probably the hottest place I'd ever been. I was almost surprised that I didn't instantly burst into flames. Still, our destination was just past the place, so we had to persevere. "To blazes with this place," I muttered to myself. I was tempted to transform, but I had the feeling that, instead of cooling me off, it would just retain _more_ heat.

A ways into the volcano, Shana suddenly ran off ahead, saying something was calling her. "Shana! Wait!" Dart shouted.

"Blast it." I readied my sword and ran after her. When we found her, she was on the ground near what appeared to be some kind of stone statue. Rose, however, looked grim.

"It's a Virage. The Winglies' answer to Dragons during the Dragon Campaign."

"That was, what, 11,000 years ago? Then why is it waking up?"

"What!?" She spun around. The Virage was hauling itself upright. "That's not good. Fortunately, it's not mature, but it still won't be easy. But now, there are three Dragoons to face it. It's your first battle as a Dragoon. Be careful."

"Right." Grasping the pendant holding the Dragoon Spirit, I began to transform. I was briefly buried in diamond, which promptly cracked, revealing my new armor. It was like Dart's in shape, but it was the color of black diamond. My eye patch , too, was black. My sword also appeared to be diamond. "Come on, let's take this thing! Diamond Storm!" The air was filled with sharp-edged diamond crystals, which immediately flew at the Virage.

It tried to retaliate by hitting me directly, but my armor simply shrugged it off. "You wanna play? Fine. Shun Goku Satsu!" The attack nearly tore the creature apart, and then Dart kicked it back into the lava, this time sending it to its doom.

Rose stood at the edge, looking down at the sinking Virage with something akin to satisfaction, while I hovered above it, wondering just what was going on. Just days previously, I'd had no idea this world even existed, and now I was caught up in the events with no way out. This fight had become personal. I now knew that Emperor Doel had sent assassins to kill me, presumably using the artifact known as the Dark Mirror, and I now also had obligations as a Dragoon. I was determined to find out as much as I could about the Dragon Campaign. If things like the Virage could live for eleven _thousand_ years, I needed to know as much as possible about the threat.

Dart yelled back to us. "Rose! Ian! Run!" Rose and I calmly made our made back to the others.

On our way out, we were forced to fight the creature that we had run from upon entering the volcano: a thing called Fire Bird.

Dart's Dragoon magic was useless against a fire-based opponent, but his sword was another matter. After transforming, he hit with a complicated flying attack, while I prepared my own magic. When it was ready, I cast it.

"Diamond Tomb!" Flame was useless against diamond, so I had chosen a spell that encased the Fire Bird in it, effectively entombing it. It didn't kill it, but given how long it takes for diamond to deteriorate, it'd take about a million years for it to free itself.

Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews. After the next couple chapters, I'm afraid the updates will take a little longer, as the first few chapters are ones that I've had mostly complete for the last two or three months. As usual, please read and review.


	4. Chapter 4: The Demise of Feyrbrand and t...

I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, any of the characters except the Takahari family, or the Choose Your Own Adventure book I got the concept of _kuji_ from.

Upon leaving Volcano Villude, it was a relatively short trip from there to the Dragon's Nest where Feyrbrand laired.

When we arrived, we detected something foul in the air: Dragon poison. No normal human could endure it for long. This wasn't a problem for Dart, Rose, and I, since we were Dragoons, but Shana and Lavitz were not. Thus, we had to hurry.

We found the entrance to the Dragon's Nest accidentally: beneath a large spider web, which snapped when we tried walking across it.

I managed to land on my feet using a simple _kuji_ levitation technique, but the others weren't so lucky. Fortunately, they escaped with only bruises.

I looked up when we heard a roar. "Please tell me that's not Feyrbrand," I groaned.

"That's him, alright." Rose said. "You know what else we'll have to face, don't you?"

"You mean...?"

"Yes. A Dragoon. Every Dragon has a master, after all."

I was not pleased by this news. I knew from my own experience that a Dragoon would be tough to kill. "What next? Well, I've got a _kuji_ trick to use on him. He'll never know what hit him." I loosened my blade in its scabbard. "Well? Let's go."

The moment we entered the chamber with the Dragon, Lavitz's face showed fury. "Greham!"

"You know this guy, Lavitz?" I asked.

"He used to be my father's best friend. Then he betrayed and murdered him!"

The man on the throne laughed. "So you are Lavitz. Do you think that you can beat the power I have obtained?" With that, he transformed into a Dragoon.

Rose looked surprised. "Where did you get that Dragoon Spirit?" she demanded.

"So someone in Basil knows of it. Fine. You will know before you die. Emperor Doel received it from Emperor Diaz. This is all his plan."

Rose snorted. "Are you insane? Emperor Diaz died during the Dragon Campaign, 11,000 years ago. But enough of this. Now you will die!" We transformed, hovering a few feet above the ground.

As I had told Rose, I had a trick for dealing with Greham: I teleported, materializing right behind him. "Traitors never win!" I grabbed him by the neck, and…

I was knocked to the ground by Feyrbrand. As I picked myself up, Lavitz charged Greham. "Guys! Leave Greham to me!"

"He's all yours!" I turned my attention to Feyrbrand, leaping back into the air. From there, I was in a position to see Lavitz get hit by a glob of poison from Feyrbrand. "Lavitz, catch!" I tossed him a Body Purifier, waited to make sure he was alright, then dove on the Dragon to help Dart and Rose, who weren't having much luck due to Feyrbrand's tough hide.

When my diamond blade entered the fray, we started making some progress. Even then, though, it was slow going.

I succeeded in destroying one of its eyes, but it retaliated by knocking me flying into Lavitz, leaving both of us vulnerable to Greham's attacks.

"Nice try, Lavitz. But futile. Now you die!" He began a Dragoon addition, something that no normal Dragoon could have survived.

What Greham didn't realize was that my armor was made of diamond, which is virtually indestructible. I managed to block his first thrust, then did the only thing left available: I summoned the Diamond Dragon itself. It first blocked Greham's attack, then blasted forward, knocking him to the ground.

Lavitz had gotten up by this time, and rushed forward to finish him off.

With Greham mortally wounded, Lavitz knelt to speak with him. "Greham, why did you kill my father?"

"No one could be stronger than Servi. I began to grow fearful, then jealous of his strength. Eventually, I betrayed him to the Sandorans in exchange for this power." His breathing was becoming more ragged. "Now I go to be with Servi. Lavitz, farewell…"

By this time Feyrbrand had been killed, and Rose drifted down to Lavitz and I as Greham's body faded. "He's lucky to be dead now. Greed like that leads only to sorrow."

Immediately after Rose finished speaking, a glowing green sphere floated over to Lavitz. "What is this!?" he exclaimed.

"It's the Dragoon Spirit of the Jade Dragon," Rose told him.

"You mean I 'deserve' to rule Dragons?"

"You have no choice. Once the Dragoon Spirit begins to glow, you must accept your fate as a Dragoon."

Shana abruptly fell to the ground, saying something about not being able to breath.

"Shana!" Dart yelled.

"Come on, Dart." I said. "We have to get her to a doctor. Didn't Dabas say something about a town nearby?" Dart nodded. "Then let's go. We'll have to fly, but I don't think it's far."

When we arrived in Lohan, we found a doctor by the name of Sanator, who examined Shana. His diagnosis was grim.

"It's not her body that's poisoned. It's her mind. I've never seen anything like it. I'm sorry to say that there is no cure." He shook his head sadly.

"You mean there's nothing we can do!?" Dart looked stricken.

"Well… If you could find some Dragoni Plant, that might cure Dragon poison, but the plant is mythical."

I shook my head. "Myths often have a grain of truth. Besides, we have no choice." I turned to Dart. "Maybe Dabas knows where some is."

"Good idea. Let's go ask him."

After navigating through the labyrinth of the town's streets, we finally located Dabas's shop. He told us that he had heard of some Dragoni Plant being in a place called the Shrine of Shirley. We set off at once, pausing to buy a water bottle to carry healing water in, in order to kill a bizarre plant blocking the way.

When we finally reached the entrance to the Shrine of Shirley, we spotted a dragon etching on the wall. Rose directed us to take out our Dragoon Spirits. After we had done so, they began to glow.

"Does this mean we'll have to face another Dragoon?" Lavitz asked.

"We'll see when we get there," Rose said cryptically. I shrugged and we went in.

Shortly after entering, I heard a soft chuckling from the top of a stone pillar. When I looked up, time seemed to stop. There, standing as casually as if on level ground, was a ninja like myself, one hand at the hilt of a katana strapped to his back.

"Well, well, well…" The figure looked amused. "It's been a while… Brother."

I stared at him, shocked. "Not… possible… You're dead!"

The others looked at me curiously. "You know this guy, Ian?" Dart asked.

"Know him? He's my brother!" I looked back at him. "Ryan… I thought you were killed by the assassins that night…"

He shook his head. "No. I got away. But before I decide to tell you anything more, show me your skill!" He jumped down, drawing an unfamiliar katana from its sheath and slashing in the same motion.

Instinctively, I drew my own blade and parried, knocking him off balance. As he flipped backward and out of the way, I jumped back shouted to Dart, who was readying his own sword. "Stay out of this, guys! This is my fight, and mine alone!"

Ryan was back on the offensive, swinging the katana at my head. As I blocked, I noticed that the blade glowed red, as if from its own internal fire. I had no idea where Ryan had been or how he had gotten this sword, but it was clear that his skills had been improved since I had last seen him.

"You've improved," I told him. "But even before the night of the assassins, you hadn't seen the full range of my abilities. Are you sure you want to test me now?" I asked him, a slight grin on my face.

He grinned back. "Show me what you got!"

I shrugged, parrying his attack. "You asked for it. Dancing Death!" The attack that had pulverized the guardian of the Limestone Cave should have turned my apparently insane brother into paste, but he managed to quickly block every strike, despite being unable to attack through it.

While I recovered from my attack, Ryan jumped, attempting to bring his sword down on my head. I leapt to counter him, blocking his katana and delivering an axe kick to the top of his head, sending him crashing to the ground. I landed behind him, already preparing for my next attack.

"Admit it, Brother. You're still unable to defeat me. Even with that fancy sword of yours, I have the advantage. There are some arts that you were never taught, arts that only the direct heir of the Rage Demon Art is taught." My eyes narrowed, and, after a moment of concentration, I vanished, reappearing behind him and hitting him in the back with a quick slash.

By the time he turned around, I had vanished again, only to emerge above him, bringing my sword down on his shoulder before vanishing again. This went on for several minutes before he finally dropped his sword in defeat.

"You win," he said.

"Now that that business is out of the way, why don't you join us? As it is now, we're short a party member."

"You sure? I mean, I did just do my by best to make sure you didn't get out of the hospital for the next six months."

"So? That was business. From what I've heard, it's something of a family tradition anyway. You should know that, too." It didn't matter to me in the slightest that my slightly younger brother had just tried to maul me. I even welcomed it. It had been too long since I had sparred with someone trained in the Rage Demon Art.

Ryan unslung the sword he had used from his back and tossed it to me. "Do you still have my old sword?" he asked. I nodded, took it from my pack, and tossed it over. "Thanks. The sword I was using really ought to go to you anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"It's an heirloom of the Rage Demon Art. As such it goes to the heir of the Art."

I didn't recognize it. "Never heard of it. How do you know of it?"

"I went back to the dojo after you left. It was in a secret compartment in the floor. I found some notes on the blade's history and abilities there as well."

"Just a sec." I turned to Dart, Rose and Lavitz. "Go on without me, guys. I have some catching up to do here."

Dart nodded. "Right."

After they left, I turned back to Ryan. "You were saying?"

"This sword is a magical blade. From the notes, I believe that the blade, as well as our family Art and possibly our family line, is from this world."

I could hardly believe my ears. "You know, Ryan, you're lucky you came back from the dead to tell me this. Otherwise, I'd never believe you. On the other hand, it would explain a bizarre prophecy I fulfilled a few days ago."

"Prophecy?"

"You've heard of the Dragoons by now, right?"

"Yeah…"

I pulled out my Dragoon Spirit. "This is the Dragoon Spirit of the Diamond Dragon. I killed the Diamond Dragon myself. That's also where I lost my eye."

Ryan's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. _"You're_ a Dragoon?"

"Yup. My armor is impervious to normal weapons. Of course, the sword you were using would've affected it, since it's a magic blade, but not much else will."

Ryan suddenly snapped his fingers, reached into a pouch, and tossed two metallic objects to me. I caught them and whistled: it was a pair Desert Eagle .50 caliber Magnum automatic pistols. "Where did you find these?"

"In the gun cabinet at the dojo. They were covered in dust."

I snorted. "This is news? Our family has always preferred swords anyway. More elegant."

"True. But it does pack a heavy punch. And I found two more, for my own use. But you were saying something about you being a Dragoon?"

"Yeah. I killed the Diamond Dragon with a home-made hand grenade, at the Seventh Fort. I suppose you heard it was destroyed?" He nodded. "That's also where I lost my eye. Before I could blow the thing's head off, it caught me with one of its claws. Oh, here," I added, tossing him a healing potion. "That'll take care of the slashes I gave you."

He drank it, then tossed the bottle back to me. "Guess we'd better get going. Gotta catch up with your friends. By the way, you _do_ still have the Scroll of the Nine Hands, right?"

"Naturally."

We caught up with the others on their way back. They hadn't found any Dragoni Plant, but they had gotten the White-Silver Dragoon Spirit. I introduced Dart and company to Ryan. "Ryan, the guy in red is Dart, Lavitz is the knight in green, and Rose is the woman in violet. Guys, this is my brother, Ryan Takahari." That done, we headed back to Lohan.

When we returned to Sanator's house, we brought the White-Silver Dragoon Spirit close to Shana. Just as we were preparing to use it, however, it began to glow, drifting over to Shana.

Ryan glanced at me. "Does this mean what I think it means?" he whispered.

"Looks like it. So… Shana is a Dragoon. That's five in this group… It can't be a coincidence."

Shana sat up, apparently completely healed. "Dart, what is this?"

"The Dragoon Spirit of the White-Silver Dragon," he responded. "Now you're a Dragoon, too."

"Who's he?" she asked, indicating Ryan.

"I'm Ryan Takahari, Ian's brother. To quote a writer from back home, 'The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated'. Another ninja, of course."

I nodded. "We ran into him at the Shrine of Shirley. Naturally, he decided to fight a duel with me."

Before we left, Sanator suggested that Dart enter the Hero Competition, a local fighting contest. After Dart said that he'd consider it, we left.

Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews. As a matter of fact, the battle with Greham and Feyrbrand started out much different from this, but I think the way it ended up is much better.


	5. Chapter 5: Lloyd's Betrayal

DISCLAIMER: I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, any of the characters except for the Takahari family, or the Choose Your Own Adventure book I got the concept of _kuji_ from.

That evening, we went to the town arena to check out the Hero Competition. Dart chose to enter, Lavitz declined, saying that knights of Basil were prohibited from entering during time of war, while Rose said that she'd ruin the competition because she was too good. Ryan and I chose to observe things from the outside and perhaps do some sparring.

While wandering around the arena, we overheard a conversation involving a Dragon. "Did you hear about the recent Dragon sightings?"

"Yeah. They say that it warps time around itself."

As we moved on, I groaned. "Just great. With our luck, Ryan, we'll end up fighting this one, too. I'd rather not lose my other eye to some other Dragon."

"Maybe we should ask Rose about it. She seems to know a lot about Dragons."

I nodded. "Good idea. She should be around here somewhere."

We found her watching Dart pummel a cheating enemy called Gorgaga. When we gave her the description, her expression became grim. "It sounds like the Dragon of Time. It has the ability to warp time within a certain range. Because of this, there were only two Dragons that were harder to kill: the Diamond and the Dark."

"Just great. Diamond armor was bad enough. Now we have to try to deal with a Dragon that can do tricks with time? Better make sure we keep our swords sharp. After all, with our luck we'll end up fighting this one, too." I shook my head in mock despair.

"Probably. Something is happening in this world. The Dragoons of old are gathering once more, and two of the three Dragons that were not slain have appeared. It is likely that we will also kill the Time Dragon. Then we must search for a bearer for the Dragoon Spirit."

I looked speculatively at Ryan. "Well, thanks for the info, Rose. I guess we'll be on our way then." Ryan and I left, heading off to watch Dart's final match.

We ended up watching as Dart was creamed by his opponent, a man named Lloyd. I was startled by his sheer speed as he avoided every one of Dart's attacks before tiring of it and ripping into him. When I saw this, I decided to challenge him to a bout, since his speed rivaled that of my fastest attacks. I had to see if I could defeat him.

I walked over to him after the match. "Up for a bit of a challenge? You may have defeated Dart, but I am the heir to Rage Demon Art of Ninjutsu, which emphasizes speed."

He smirked. "If you're willing to chance it, you're on."

I slowly drew my new katana and assumed an offensive stance. "Let's go." I began running, then leapt into the air halfway to Lloyd. I raised my sword above my head, but by the time I landed, he'd vanished. Instinctively, I swung my sword up to block his strike as he landed behind me.

"Quick, are you? Well, I've got my own secret weapon." My eyes narrowed, then I began the attack that had defeated Ryan. Only this time, the end result was much different.

We collided midair, knocking each other to the ground. When Lloyd dragged himself to his feet, he smiled with swollen lips. "I guess we call that a draw."

"I guess so."

"Now that you've faced me, what do you think?"

"I hope that I never have to fight you in earnest."

"Same to you. We might end up killing each other." With that, he walked off, staggering slightly. Evidently our collision had knocked the wind out of him, as well.

I met up with Dart and the others outside the inn the next day. After I told them about my duel with Lloyd, we headed to the entrance of the town. When we arrived, however, a wounded knight of Basil stumbled in.

Lavitz rushed to the dying knight's side. "You are a knight of Basil! What has happened!?"

The knight looked up at him. "Sir… Lavitz? Good… it wasn't in vain. King Albert… captured… Hellena…" With that, his head dropped, and he lay still. Dead.

Dart and I had to restrain Lavitz from rushing off to Hellena on his own. "Let me go! I have to save King Albert!" Just as he started to break free, fortunately, a man Dart had previously introduced as Haschel rushed in, jumped over us, and knocked Lavitz out cold.

"Thanks, Haschel," Dart said.

"No problem. We should get him somewhere more suited to comatose patients."

"Don't you mean 'knocked-out-cold' patients?" I said.

Lavitz came to shortly after we moved him to Sanator's house. He immediately leapt out of bed, rushing for the door, only to be blocked by Haschel.

"You idiot! The king cannot be saved when the knight goes off alone and in poor judgment. The only way we can do this is by working together."

I nodded. "Remember, Lavitz, the only reason you got out of Hellena in the first time was because Dart was with you. How much success do you think you'd have breaking in, rescuing King Albert, and breaking out again without help?"

He reluctantly agreed. "But what _do_ we do?"

"I say we go in, smash everything in our path, rescue King Albert, and get out."

Dart raised an eyebrow. "And you think _Lavitz's_ plan is reckless? What's the difference?"

"The difference is that it will be all of us going. And this." I reached into my pack and withdrew one of the Desert Eagles.

Dart merely looked puzzled. "What's that?"

"Oh, sorry. Forgot. Lower technology level. Anyway, this is called gun. A .50 caliber Desert Eagle magnum automatic pistol. In other words, a whole lot of bang. Ryan, would you care to demonstrate?" I handed the gun to him. "Observe."

Ryan cocked the gun, aimed at a passing bird, and fired. The bird exploded.

The others were gaping. Even Rose looked surprised. "How did you do that?"

I took the pistol back from Ryan. "A gun propels a small projectile using a substance called gunpowder. In essence, it creates a small, controlled explosion." On the heals of that statement, I pulled out a pair of shoulder holsters, stuck the pistols in them, and strapped them on, then pulled on a long, black jacket. Ryan was doing the same. "Saddle up," I said, cocking the guns. "Lock and load."

Upon arriving at Hellena prison, Ryan and I went to the drawbridge ahead of the others. A prison guard stood in our way. "Stop! What business do you have-" The guns practically leapt into my hands. Before he could react, I put two bullets in his head.

"Stop _this_." I quickly swept the Desert Eagles around, blasting the ropes holding up the bridge and sending it crashing down while Ryan shot the remaining guards.

I casually blew smoke from the barrels, twirled them, and dropped them back in their holsters. I turned back to the others, who were still staring at the carnage, which had taken mere seconds. "All clear. Oh, and careful when crossing the bridge. I'm not sure how stable it'll be after having its supports shot off."

With that, we began our rescue of King Albert, leaving bodies in our wake.

We didn't worry about being subtle. Ryan and I led the way, using our swords to save ammunition. When we reached one of the central chambers of the prison, however, we ran into trouble. We were forced back onto some kind of grate in the floor.

"Get out of our way if you don't want to die," I calmly said to the warden above us.

"Nice try," he said, "but you are nothing but food!" He pulled a lever, and the floor opened beneath us, dropping us a ways down below.

When I came to, the others had already picked themselves up off the floor and were trying to find some way out of the large chamber we had found ourselves in. Shana was checking the nearest wall.

"I feel a draft over here," she said. "There must be a hole somewhere."

Ryan ran over. "She's right. But before we look for it, I suggest we kill that big ugly monster over by Ian."

"Wha-!?" I sprang to my feet, drawing my katana. Standing mere feet from me was possibly the ugliest creature I had ever seen. It was also at ten times my size. I knew none of the others would reach me in time, so I took matters into my own hands. Holding up my Dragoon Spirit, I transformed, soaring above the monster.

I pointed my blade at the foul creature. "You are an abomination that does not belong in this world. Diamond Doom!"

Like the Firebird, the monster known as Jiango was trapped in a diamond prison. Unlike the Firebird, the chunk of diamond, with Jiango inside, began to shrink until it vanished, never to be seen in this world again.

I dropped to the ground, reverting to human form, and sheathed my sword. _"Now_ we can get out of here. And we'd better hurry. King Albert doesn't have much time."

I walked over to where Shana had said there was an airflow and planted another home-made grenade. "Stand back. It's gonna blow." And blow it did, revealing that the rock had been rather weak in that area, given how large the hole became. "Come on. It's time we ended Fruegel's reign of terror."

As we walked out, I heard in the relatively near distance a sound that chilled my soul. I had heard it only a few times before, but I knew the call of a Dragon. There was one near the top of the prison, and I had a bad feeling about which one it would be. So far as I knew, the only Dragon left in the area was the Time Dragon.

I shook off my misgivings for the time being and drew my sword. Then I looked back at Ryan. "Ryan. You and I should take a more roundabout route. Flank 'em."

"Right."

"See you at the top, Dart."

He nodded. "Just make sure that you _do_ get there, all right?"

"Of course. C'mon, Ryan." Once we were away from the others, I looked over at Ryan. "By the way, does this fancy sword have a name?"

"Yeah," he replied. "It's called the Soul Cleaver. From what I've been able to discover from the notes, it was forged centuries ago here in Endiness. You probably noticed it glowing when I fought you back at the Shrine. Apparently, the blade has something of a life of its own during battle. Its abilities seem to be activated by strong emotions like anger, as well as determination. When it is awakened, expect it to be very powerful. The perfect weapon for a Dragoon."

"I guess so. But for right now, we need to get to King Albert before Fruegel kills him."

When we finally joined the others at the top, it was just as Shana was hitting Fruegel in the leg with an arrow.

"Your time is at an end, Fruegel!" I shouted.

"I will kill you before the king. Guftas! Rodriguez! Attack!" The bloated idiot of a head warden was joined by two hideous monsters, one bird-like, the other pig-like.

"You think that those will help you? Don't make me laugh!" The Soul Cleaver was already glowing as I drew it. Using _kuji_ techniques, I teleported behind the monstrous pair and cut them both in half. "Any other bright ideas before we kill you?" Without waiting for a reply, I charged him, my katana raised in a high guard position.

When I got close enough, my sword swept into an attack position. _"Shun Goku Satsu!"_ While I was doing that, Ryan teleported and hit from behind, with Lavitz and Haschel hitting Fruegel from either side. Dart and Rose attacked from the air.

After about a half hour of this, I finally got fed up and drew one of my pistols. "Lavitz! When I give the word, charge him!"

"Got it!" He readied his spear, not quite knowing what I was about to do.

"Hey, Fruegel!" I shouted. "Hope you're not fond of that knee!" Before he could react, I squeezed the trigger and sent a bullet into his knee, shattering the kneecap. "Lavitz, now!"

He moved instantly, stabbing Fruegel in the heart. The huge idiot dropped in his tracks, dead.

Lavitz and I spun around at the sound of groans from King Albert. A hooded man was reaching _into_ his back and drawing something out. Lavitz charged at the man and leapt into the air, transforming into a Dragoon mid-leap.

Even as he flew, I watched in horror as the hooded man drew some kind of magical blade and prepared to stab Lavitz with it. I was the only one in a position to see it, and there was no time for me to halt Lavitz's flight. Horrified, I stared as if in slow motion as Lavitz flew at the sword. I started to draw my pistols, hoping that I could shoot the hooded man in time, knowing that it was hopeless.

I was right. Lavitz impaled himself and the hood dropped from the man with the sword. Dart and I shouted simultaneously. _"Lloyd!!"_ It was the man we had fought at the hero competition, only now he had a magic blade, against which even my armor would be tissue paper.

Dart and I charged him, but, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), he leapt off the tower before we could get anywhere near him. Unlike Dart, however, I didn't stop to check Lavitz. I knew there was nothing I could do, so I leapt off the tower after him, transforming mid-leap.

"Lloyd! Get back here, you scum! If you surrender, I won't kill you outright!" He was still in sight, flying with wings of magic ahead of me.

He just shook his head and laughed. "I have more important things to do!" And he vanished into thin air.

"What the!?" I looked around carefully. _How did he do that? He clearly has no idea what _kuji_ is, so… waaaiiit a minute. The first time I used _kuji_, Rose thought I was a Wingly. I'll bet anything that Lloyd really is one._

I flew back to the prison tower. "Lavitz?" I asked Dart. He simply shook his head in grief. "I'm sorry. I'd have stayed to help, but I was chasing Lloyd."

At that, Dart looked up. "Is he…?"

"Dead? No. The piece of slime got away." I walked over to where Rose and Shana were standing. "Rose. Lloyd is a Wingly."

Her expression became grim. "You're sure?"

"Know of anyone else who can teleport, besides my brother and I? Besides which, he was flying, and not even _kuji_ can cause one to sprout magic wings."

"It would explain how he got the sword…"

As she trailed off, I finally glanced at King Albert. And froze.

Albert was holding the Jade Dragoon Spirit. It appeared that Lavitz had bequeathed it to him. "Congratulations on becoming a Dragoon, Your Majesty. I just wish that the circumstances were better."

Author's note: For the record, I did not get the idea for the Time Dragon from The Legend of Dragoon: The Final Element. I thought of it before I even heard of the story. Just thought I'd point that out before anyone started asking me about it. As usual, please read and review.


	6. Chapter 6: The Enigma of Ryan

I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, any of the characters except the Takahari family, or the Choose Your Own Adventure book I got the concept of _kuji_ from.

I stood from where I had been crouched next to Lavitz's body. "Rest in peace, Lavitz. Dart," I called, "before we do anything else, we should send someone to take Lavitz's body back to Bale. Either myself or Ryan, I think, because we can get there and back the fastest."

"Right. Ryan, if you--" Dart was interrupted by a roar. "Uh-oh."

Judging from Rose's grim expression, it could only be one thing. "This is it. The Time Dragon has arrived. Be caref--" She was cut off mid-word, freezing in place, as if time had stopped.

_Wait a minute._ I thought. _The Time Dragon can play tricks with time. That means-_ I looked around. Ryan and I were the only ones not frozen in place.

"Ian, does this mean what I think it means?" Ryan asked.

"Looks that way. Guess we'll have to fight this thing on our own. Now where is it?"

"Ian, behind you!" Ryan's eyes were wide.

"Wha!?" Before I could turn, something hit me from behind and I was knocked flying. "Ugh!" I didn't even have a chance to draw my sword as I went sailing past Ryan. I landed hard, skidding off the edge of the tower, just barely catching myself with one hand. I hung there without enough strength to use my Dragoon Spirit, and with both hands now occupied with keeping me from falling, I couldn't use _kuji_ to get myself back to the tower.

I managed to raise my head enough to see Ryan charging the Dragon, using his left hand for some type of _kuji _magic. Immediately, some kind of sphere surrounded him, and he continued towards the Dragon, apparently oblivious to the possibility of being frozen in time.

_Of course. That _kuji_ trick must have been a time manipulation move as well. But can he take that thing alone? True, he's trained in the Rage Demon Art, too, but I'm the only one to have gotten all the techniques._ Despite my misgivings, however, I knew that there was no way I could get back in time to help him, given my current position.

I watched as Ryan got within striking range of the Time Dragon and unleash a powerful combination attack. In response, the enormous creature swept its tail, sending him flying into a pillar.

As he recovered, I managed to get enough of a grip on the tower to free one hand. Thinking fast, I drew the Soul Cleaver and threw it to Ryan.

With a blur of movement, he shifted his own katana to his left hand and caught the Soul Cleaver in his right. Thus armed, he went back on the offensive, timing his blows so that the Time Dragon was constantly being hit by one sword or the other.

When the Dragon finally did get in a slash of its claws, though, Ryan nearly fell off the tower, blood dripping down his face from the wound. What he did next surprised even me: with a snarl, he set down the Soul Cleaver, raised his own sword-

And vanished. There was a glint of steel near the Dragon's chest, then Ryan reappeared behind it, casually sheathing his sword while the Time Dragon dropped in two pieces behind him.

Upon the Dragon's death, Rose resumed speaking where she had left off. "--ful." She looked around, puzzled. "Did I miss something?"

Watching without surprise as the Dragoon Spirit of the Time Dragon floated over to Ryan, I replied, "You could say that." I hauled myself back into the tower and retrieved the Soul Cleaver. "Ryan just killed the Time Dragon. Unassisted, except for my sword. You might say that the Dragon left me hanging. But now we have yet another Dragoon Spirit: that of the Time Dragon."

Dart shook his head, then spoke. "Anyway, as I was saying before the Dragon showed up, would you take Lavitz's body back to Bale, Ryan?"

"Sure. Just let me take care of this wound." Ryan drank a potion. "Okay, I'm ready to go. Where do I meet you?"

Dart thought for a moment. "Seles. I know of a place where we hide for little while."

"Got it. See you there." Ryan carefully picked up Lavitz's body, then teleported off to Bale.

When we reached Seles, Dart led the way down into a cellar that went fairly deep down. By this time, Ryan had returned from Bale, so we were able to begin our discussion right away.

I turned to King Albert. "Your Majesty, what was that thing Lloyd took from you?"

He sighed. "I guess I must tell you all of it," he said, turning to face the wall. "It's called the Moon Gem. It's an heirloom of Serdio, sealed into the body of the heir to the throne. An object of great magical power, it was created by the Winglies 11,000 years ago when Humans defeated them and we won our freedom. A peace token, as it were, symbolizing our freedom. Each of the three countries, Serdio, Tiberoa, and Mille Seseau, received them. Tiberoa has the Moon Dagger, and Mille Seseau the Moon Mirror. Now that Lloyd has taken the Moon Gem to Emperor Doel, Doel can claim the throne of all of Serdio…" His voice trailed off as he clenched his hand into a fist.

Dart glared at the floor. "And now Lloyd has killed Lavitz…"

Rose spoke. "Lavitz didn't stand a chance. Lloyd had the Dragon Buster, a Wingly sword created for the express purpose of killing Dragons and Dragoons. Even Dragoon armor is like paper against it. If I had known Lloyd possessed it, I would have stopped Lavitz."

"But now it's too late," Ryan snarled. "That scum Lloyd murdered him in cold blood. Even if there weren't other considerations like ending the war, I'd go after Doel just for sending Lloyd to kill Lavitz. And I'd like to kill Lloyd, too."

I shook my head. "Ryan, I agree with going after Lloyd, but you can't directly blame Doel for Lavitz's death. He had no way of knowing Lavitz would even be there, so I highly doubt he specifically ordered Lloyd to kill him."

"He's right," Shana said. "But we still have to go after Doel to end the war."

"Absolutely," Haschel agreed.

I drew Soul Cleaver and began to polish it. "Didn't say we didn't. Just wanted to point out that we can't blame Doel for everything." I pulled out my Dragoon Spirit, while the others, including Ryan, followed suit. "For now, why don't we go kick Doel's backside out of power, shall we?"

The shine from the Dragoon Spirits was answer enough.

On the journey to Kazas, I took it upon myself to train Ryan in Dragoon combat, as well as some of the more advanced Rage Demon techniques that were normally taught only to the heir of the Art. In this situation, I felt that he needed all the abilities possible to survive. I didn't teach him all of them, of course, as there had to be _some_ mystique to the Art.

"Okay," I said to Ryan, "try to hit me."

He looked slightly nervous. "You sure about this, Ian? I mean, the chances of my hitting you aren't _that_ low."

"Don't be so sure. But even if you do, remember that we've got the White Silver Dragoon with us. Now come on. Hit me. If you can."

Ryan shrugged. "You asked for it…" Without warning, his katana was out and he was slashing through the air…

Where I no longer was. I had already moved, appearing directly behind him and putting my sword to his throat. "Too slow." I withdrew my blade. "Not bad, but still a little too slow. When you can knock my sword from my grip, I'll consider you ready for training." I stepped back. "Again!"

This time, Ryan simply stood there at first, watching me. Then, with a blur of movement, he swept towards me, so fast that I couldn't dodge. What I could and did do, however, was raise my katana and parry his stroke, knocking him to the ground.

"Better. Definitely better." I gave Ryan a hand up, then stepped back into the ready position. "Once more. You're almost ready."

"Only almost?" Ryan said, a challenging grin on his face. "How 'bout now?" Faster than even I could see, he appeared behind me, hit my wrist with sufficient force to make me drop the blade, then kicked me in the back, knocking me over.

With a satisfied smile on his face, he walked over and put his sword to my throat, aiming a pistol at me with his left hand. "Bang," Ryan said. "You're dead."

"Very funny. Now would you mind letting me up?" I didn't find his expression, or the weapons at near my head, to be at all reassuring.

He shook his head, a lopsided smile on his face, then began to laugh.

"Uh, Ryan…" This was beginning to make me nervous. I suddenly recalled just what had happened when Ryan and I had reunited in Shirley's Shrine: we had fought a duel, and he hadn't really explained why.

He raised his hand, making the motions of a _kuji_ spell. I gulped, really starting to worry now. I wondered just what had happened after the events at the dojo.

The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air, bowling over Dart and Albert, before slamming into a tree. The impact knocked me unconscious, with one thought sticking in mind as I succumbed to the blackness. _Why…_

Author's note: A little shorter than some of my previous chapters, but I thought I'd devote a little time to the Time Dragon and adding a little mystery to the story. As usual, please read and review, and let me know what you think of this latest twist.


	7. Chapter 7: The End of the Serdian War

I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, any of the characters except the Takahari family, the Choose Your Own Adventure book I got the concept of _kuji_ from, or Star Ocean 2, which is where I got the name of the Soul Slayer from.

I awoke feeling stiff, sore, and tied to a tree. At first I was merely puzzled, but then I remembered how I had come to lose consciousness.

I looked around, trying to spot Ryan. What I saw at first shocked me: he'd managed to incapacitate the others, as well, and tie them up. How he had succeeded in that, I didn't know, but it was clear that Ryan had been holding back when I'd fought him in the Shrine. I was very glad that he'd decided to betray us _before_ I had the chance to teach him the more advanced Rage Demon attacks.

When I finally saw Ryan, I felt an icy fist close on my heart: his eyes were glowing red, and he was carrying the Soul Cleaver, now glowing a deeper red than I had ever seen it.

He saw me watching him. "Finally awake, eh, Brother?" He smiled mockingly.

"Don't call me that," I snapped. "I don't acknowledge traitors as family. And you _didn't_ escape from the dojo, did you?" Ryan didn't respond. "And the Soul Cleaver isn't really an heirloom of the family Art, is it?"

"You're half right," he said. "The Soul Cleaver is an heirloom, but this is not the Soul Cleaver. It's true name is Soul _Slayer_. Related to Soul Cleaver, it's an evil blade, which possesses its bearer. Soul Cleaver was forged to destroy it, but Soul Slayer's original wielder attacked the ship that was carrying it, and it was lost. It has not been seen for a thousand years." Ryan gazed at the demonic blade. "I did tell the truth on one thing, however. The two swords _were_ forged in Endiness."

I stared at him in fury. "You won't get away with this, Ryan. If I have to, I _will_ kill you."

He waved his hand. "I don't think so, Ian. But enough talk. It's time to take you to His Majesty Doel. He will be most pleased that the plan was a success."

I shook my head. "Despite the fact that you are one yourself now, you continue to underestimate Dragoons. Not to mention my own ninja training."

Ryan frowned, the first indication of doubt that he'd shown thus far. "What do you mean?"

"This!" I dropped out of the tree, having used the conversation as cover for my escape efforts. Yanking my old katana out of the ground where Ryan had left it, I leapt, transforming into a Dragoon midair. "Come and get me!"

Ryan's face took on an expression of fury, and he used his own Dragoon Spirit. Instantly, a red vortex formed, which sucked him in. When he emerged, I got my first look at the Dragoon of the Time Dragon.

His armor, too, was like Dart's, but a much deeper, more blood-like, red. Soul Slayer had not changed much, but it was glowing more than ever. "You're not getting away, Ian! Doel wants you alive, but he'll accept a corpse."

"Maybe," I replied, "but before you can take me to him, you have to survive the next few minutes, don't you?" Despite my bravado, however, I was worried. Ryan may have been possessed, but he appeared to get immense power in return.

_I wish Soul Cleaver was around. That'd deal with Slayer pretty quick,_ I snorted mentally. _And while I'm wishing, why don't I wish to be back at the dojo before any of this happened._

Shaking off my thoughts, I readied my katana, waiting for Ryan to strike. When he did, Flew around him and slashed him in the back.

"Urgh!" He grunted, then spun around, using the momentum to deliver a stroke that sent me cart-wheeling through the air. Ryan followed up with a combination that he shouldn't have known about: _"Shun Goku Satsu!"_

_"Aaaaahhhh!!!"_ Badly injured, I fell toward the sea. Ryan hovered nearby, evidently satisfied that I would drown.

Then a bright pulsing attracted our attention: Soul Slayer was resonating, and there was a matching a pulse in the sea. Ryan's expression turned to horror as we both realized the only thing that could cause that reaction in both his sword and the sea: the long-lost blade, Soul Cleaver, had been found. And Soul Slayer's presence had awakened it.

_"Nooooo!" _Ryan swept down to the water, but I turned my fall into a Dragoon powered dive, plunging into the water.

Once underwater, I saw it, rising from the depths where the sword had slept for a thousand years. It came straight into my hand, glowing brightly.

As soon as my hand closed on it, I felt my wounds heal, my strength return. Holding the shining katana, I rose from the sea. Ryan was staring at me in shock and horror.

"It can't be!" He raised Soul Slayer again, futilely hoping to defend against the brother of the sword he wielded.

"You should be happy, Brother. I'm about to destroy the blade that has possessed you." I flew at him, building up speed, and struck Soul Slayer with Soul Cleaver. The evil sword survived the first blow, but it was cracked, and the second strike shattered it.

Pieces of it flew in all directions, one of them going through my armor, but with Soul Slayer destroyed, Ryan dropped to the ground, reverting to human form and blacking out.

I followed Ryan down to the ground, catching him and easing him to the dirt. Leaving him there, I went to untie the others. They had all still been unconscious during my aerial battle with Ryan.

Coughing, Dart stood. "Ian? What happened? Last thing I remember is something heavy hitting me in the head."

I gestured to Ryan's unconscious body. "Ryan happened. And the heavy something was me. Ryan decided to throw me into a tree, and you and Rose just happened to be in the way. After that, of course, he knocked everyone else out and tied us up. In short, Ryan betrayed us."

Shana looked shocked. "What!? Why!?"

Dart's expression was first shocked, then furious. "He betrayed us, and you let him live!?"

"Calm down, Dart," Haschel said. "Put yourself in Ian's place. He could no more kill Ryan than you could have killed Lavitz."

"True," Albert answered, "but you should have at least tied him up, Ian." This triggered an argument, which rapidly increased in volume until we began to shout.

Surprisingly, it was Rose that broke it up. "Enough!" We looked at her in surprise. "Do you think anything will get done if you keep shouting at each other? Besides, Ian hasn't even had the chance to explain himself. That should clear things up."

I nodded. "Exactly. As I was intending to say before you all started screaming yourselves hoarse, this wasn't Ryan's fault." I held up a fragment of the shattered Soul Slayer. "The sword that he gave me, the one he claimed was the Soul Cleaver, was, in fact, the Soul Slayer, an evil weapon which had possessed him. I think that after he wakes up, we'll find that on the night of the assassins, he was captured by surviving Sandorans and brought to Emperor Doel, who was evidently in possession of the Soul Slayer. I suspect, however, that the plan was Lloyd's. He probably brought the sword to Doel. For that matter, Lloyd was probably behind the assassination attempt in the first place."

Albert nodded. "He is quite clever. That's why I employed him as an advisor. But how did you destroy the Soul Slayer?"

"With this." I held up the real Soul Cleaver. "When Ryan got me out over the water, his sword started resonating, and this one's location was revealed by a matching pulse. After I destroyed Soul Slayer, Ryan was apparently released, thus sparing me from the necessity of killing him." I looked down. "I only wish more of my family had survived the Sandoran attack."

The others, even Rose, fell silent briefly. The silence was broken when Ryan started to sit up with a groan. I hurried to him.

"Ugh…" He looked up at me. "…Ian? What happened? Where are we? I just had the weirdest dream…"

"No dream, Ryan," I said gently. "This is all real. How much do you remember?"

"Everything, I guess… The last thing I can remember that doesn't seem… odd, is being brought before that Doel guy. After that, things seem dreamlike, but I can remember it…"

"Easy, Ryan." I handed him a potion. "You've had a rough time. Take it easy for a little while."

"Yeah…" The events of the last few hours seemed to return to him. "Sorry about what I did to you guys back there. Wasn't quite myself." That brought chuckles. "I seem to remember something about a sword. Soon as it got close, wham."

"I know. Don't worry about it. I just shattered the katana in question. Just rest for now. As soon as you've rested a little bit, we're going to Kazas. How'd you like to get a little payback from that scum?"

"Count me in. Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be ready to go." Ryan already seemed to be recovering.

"Alright. We're gonna have to hurry once we do get going, though. We've lost quite a bit of time."

It took us an additional two days to get to Kazas. It was night on the second day when we arrived. By this time, Ryan had fully recovered, and I had trained him in some of the more advanced Rage Demon and _kuji_ techniques. We had every intention of knocking "Emperor" Doel into next week. Especially Ryan, who had a personal score to settle.

In front of the Black Castle, we were forced to halt. "Too many guards," Dart said. "We'll have to find another way in."

Albert pointed toward a somewhat dilapidated building near the castle. "Before the war, that was a fortress. It may have a secret entrance to the castle."

Dart shrugged. "Worth a try." We carefully entered the old fortress, avoiding the various pitfalls inherent in such structures.

After searching the fort, we came across a young boy named Popo. Thinking we wanted to enter the New Serdio Party, he asked us three questions. "First, which side do you want to win, Basil or Sandora?"

"I cannot say which," Dart replied. "The important thing is to end the war as soon as possible."

"I agree. The longer the war goes on, the more people get hurt. Next question: What should powerless kids like us do?"

"Take care at home, so the warriors have something to come back to," Dart answered.

Popo nodded. "I think so, too. There are things even we can do. Last question: Why do people fight?"

Dart replied without hesitation. "If war is to destroy or obtain something, I'll throw my sword away. I fight to protect people."

"That's right! My grandpa says the same thing."

Albert spoke up. "Your grandfather is very wise, then."

The boy looked at him curiously. "Do I know you?"

"Though we have never met, you may know my face. I am Albert, King of Basil."

I was somewhat surprised that the boy didn't die of shock. "You're King Albert!? You've come to end the war!?"

"That's what we're here for," Dart said. "But we can't get into the castle."

"I know a way!" Popo was getting more excited by the moment. "This place used to be a fort, so there's a secret entrance to the castle."

"Can you show us?" Haschel asked.

"Follow me!"

Popo led us to what looked somewhat a dry well. "This leads right into the Black Castle. Good luck."

"We will end the war," Ryan said. "You've got our word on that." No kidding. Ryan no doubt wanted to rip Doel's throat out himself.

In single file, we carefully maneuvered through the tight, sometimes claustrophobic passage. It eventually led right into the castle, just beyond the well-guarded front gate.

I turned to Dart. "Ryan and I will go on ahead. We'll meet you further into the castle." He started to protest, but I cut him off. "We'll be fine. We're ninjas, remember? This is literally the sort of thing we were born and bred to do. Besides, this way you'll have less opposition."

He nodded reluctantly. "Okay. But be careful. There are a lot of guards here."

"Always are. Let's go, Ryan."

We headed off through the Black Castle, sneaking up on guards and killing them in many and varied messy ways. We eventually came across an elite soldier, the same type that I had fought in Hoax before Kongol showed up.

I glanced at Ryan. "Do you want to kill him, or shall I?"

"Let me, Ian. I wasn't at Hoax, so I don't know how much of a challenge they are."

"Be my guest." I bowed mockingly. The elite soldier was looking at us as if we had both gone insane.

He wasn't looking at anything much longer. Ryan casually drew his katana and decapitated him. "Ugh." Ryan said. "There's nothing quite as foul smelling as the corpse of a Sandoran."

"Ahh, you're just upset because they used you try and kill the rest of us," I said, chuckling.

"Wouldn't you be?"

"Guess you've got a point." I looked around. "Anyway, we should go see how the others are doing."

"Right." We left the stinking corpse and went looking for our comrades.

We found them puzzling over a pedestal of some kind on a platform overlooking an enormous statue of a goddess. They finally figured it out just as Ryan and I joined them.

Albert looked up at us. "Ah. You're here. Good. We were just starting to think you'd suffered some horrible fate."

Ryan jokingly scowled. "Thanks a lot, Albert. We just a little delayed, that's all. Ian and I couldn't decide which of us should kill an elite soldier. Just took a little more time than we expected."

Haschel shook his head. "I have never seen anyone more blasé then you two are about killing."

"So?" I said. "We're assassins by birth and breeding. That's what ninja do. But now that we've gotten the obligatory insults out of the way, how's about we go kill Doel."

"Right," Dart replied. "This way." We headed down to a door that had opened up in the side of the Goddess Statue.

Unfortunately, we encountered something nasty on the way up. "I smell blood in the air," Rose said.

"It's not human…" Haschel concurred.

"Kongol!!" Dart yelled. Indeed, the huge Giganto was coming our way, this time missing his ax, but making up for the loss with sometime of armor with claws attached.

"Gigantos don't lose twice! Kongol will pay you back for Hoax!" With that, he charged us, slamming me against the wall.

"Albert!" Ryan called. "He's Earth-based! That's your department, right!?"

In reply, Albert transformed into a Dragoon, flying just out of range. "No one else transform! Save your strength for Doel. I can handle this!" And handle it he did, once I got out of the way. "Gaspless!" The wind spell hammered the Earth-based Giganto.

In response, Kongol slammed Albert into a wall, stabbed him with his claws, then threw him. I took the opportunity to leap on Kongol's back and stabbed him.

He dropped, and Rose destroyed his armor. "Giganto… brother of hero… with strongest armor… lost. Finish me."

"As you wish." Rose raised her rapier for the killing blow.

"Stop!" Dart said. "The game is over."

"Game? This is no game."

"Stop. He can't fight anymore," Shana said.

Rose looked over at her. "I hope your sweetness doesn't get you killed." But she relented. "Let's go. Doel is just ahead."

When we entered the throne room, we saw Doel on his throne. "So you've come," he said.

"Uncle…" Albert began. "Do you remember me? I am the son of the brother you killed… Albert!"

"You remind me of Carlo, twenty years ago… a bloodstained corpse in front of me."

Albert's face twisted in fury. "Why did you divide Serdio by killing my father!? Tell me!"

"To save Serdio from an incompetent king named Carlo."

Dart stepped forward. "Why did you have Shana kidnapped!?"

Doel thought briefly, then spoke. "Oh, you mean Lloyd's conspiracy. 'Find the girl before the Moon That Never Set waxes'. It is all the plan of the reborn Emperor Diaz."

Rose shook her head in disgust. "Are you crazy? Diaz is _dead_. He's been dead for 11,000 years."

"Nevertheless, it is his plan."

Ryan exploded. "You-" He spat out a string of pejoratives in what sounded like a combination of Latin and Russian. "Now you're going to _die!_" He looked over at me. "Ready, Ian?"

I nodded. "Let's do it." I took a deep breath. _"Shun Goku Satsu!"_ Ryan was beginning the same attack, with one difference: it was the exact reverse of mine. We had rehearsed this on the way to Kazas.

We charged Doel simultaneously, mirroring each other's attacks. The hammering it gave him seemed at first to defeat him, but only at first.

"You think to defeat me that easily!? Try this!" Doel began to glow with a light that I was all too familiar with: he was transforming into the Dragoon of the Violet Dragon, which was thunder-based.

Ryan and I leapt back. "Scatter!" I yelled. "Everyone transform!" Following my own advice, I used the Diamond Dragoon Spirit, while Ryan used his Time Dragoon Spirit for the first time in his right mind.

The first thing to hit Dragoon Doel was a fire spell. "Final Burst!" With his wings on fire, Dart rushed Doel.

Rose was next, using her simplest, but perhaps most useful, spell. "Astral Drain!" It stole energy from Doel and gave it to us.

Ryan unexpectedly followed up with one of his spells. "Time Freeze!" It caused Doel to freeze in place, for time was standing still as far as he was concerned.

I used the opening for a spell of my own. "Diamond Storm!" Unfortunately, I didn't get away in time, so he was able to hit me with his pair of swords and send me flying.

"Rose Storm!" Albert cast the protective magic, then flew in on his uncle, driving a spear into his gut. Doel retaliated by casting a spell of his own, hammering all of us.

Battered and bruised, I finally drew the Soul Cleaver and dashed at him. He promptly knocked me away with a punch, but it gave Dart an opening. He moved in for the kill, stabbing Doel and giving him a mortal wound.

Doel slowly sank to the floor, dropping one of his swords and using the other to brace himself. "You have grown… strong," he said to Albert.

"Uncle." He lowered his spear.

"What you must know is not the past, but the future. Pursue… Lloyd. He is in the western country of Tiberoa."

"Tiberoa?"

"He knows… everything. Go, and find out about the world. About… everything." With that, Doel collapsed, his life having left him. The Dragoon Spirit of the Violet Dragon rose towards the ceiling.

Haschel looked up. "I guess our journey is over."

"No." We all looked at Dart. "Our journey began when Shana was kidnapped. I'm going after Lloyd!"

"My journey 'cannot end' either," Albert said. "I'll give up my status as a king for a while, and travel as a Dragoon. Lavitz would have agreed completely."

Shana was obviously going with Dart. "What about you, Rose?" I asked.

"I told you, I'm interested in you guys. Besides, you feel naked without me, don't you?" I just rolled my eyes.

"What are going to do, Ian, Ryan?" Dart asked. "Now that the Dark Mirror is available, will you be returning to your own world?"

Ryan shook his head. "No. We have a personal interest in this, and there isn't really anything for us to go back to."

I nodded. "United we stand, divided we fall."

Haschel seemed to be leaving. "Where are you going?" Shana asked.

Before he could reply, the Violet Dragoon Spirit drifted down to him. Rose watched without surprise. "'As Dragoons meet, blood will flow, and as they leave, time does slow.'"

The Dragoon Spirits shone brightly, and for the first time in a while I actually felt at peace. Then, without warning, I felt an excruciating pain in my gut. _The shard of the Soul Slayer! I should have known._ I managed to gasp, "The shard…" before collapsing into blackness…

Author's note: Whew! That was a long chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, and please keep it up. -Solid Shark


	8. Chapter 8: Reunion

I don't own The Legend of Dragoon, any of the characters except the Takahari family, the Choose Your Own Adventure book I got the concept of _kuji_ from, or Star Ocean 2, which is where I got the name of the Soul Slayer from.

Author's Note: This chapter is told from Ryan's perspective. I decided to try this in part because I don't recall any other first-person story having occasional chapters done from the perspective of other characters. Let me know what you think of it and if I should do it again later in the story. ~Solid Shark

I watched in shock as Ian began to collapse. "The shard…" he gasped, falling to the floor. Shock turned to horror as I realized what "the shard" was: a fragment from the Soul Slayer, the sword I had wielded as Doel's unwitting pawn. It must have gotten stuck in him after he shattered the blade, and slowly started to take him over. Unwitting or not, though, it was my fault.

"Ian!" Shaking off my shock-induced paralysis, I rushed to him. Feeling for a pulse, I relaxed slightly when I felt it: weak, but steady. I looked up at the others. "We've got to get him to a doctor!"

"Yes," Albert agreed. "Unfortunately, the nearest one capable of dealing with this injury is in Fletz, so we can do nothing for him but take him with us. And if that's a fragment of the Soul Slayer, we can't afford to let him wake up until it's removed. To do otherwise would be to allow Ian to become the same as you were: a pawn of an evil weapon."

I slammed my fist into the floor of the throne room. "Blast it! And this is all my fault. If I hadn't been trying to kill him…"

Haschel shook his head. "No. Remember that you weren't exactly in your right mind at the time, Ryan. Doel was using you, so you had no more choice than if you were a sword in his hand. And don't start thinking that Ian would blame you. I imagine that he'll think it was his own fault for not being careful enough. Besides, beating yourself up about it isn't going to do any good. With Ian incapacitated, you're our stealth expert."

I stood. "You're right. I imagine Ian would be more annoyed if I broke my hand by slamming it into the floor again." I looked around. "Somebody get me some rope. I hate to say it, but Ian'll be easier to carry with his limbs tied."

It took us a couple of hours before we were ready to move on to Fletz. Along the way, we stopped in Lohan for supplies. While the others were looking for potions and such, I stopped by a street vender who was carrying a shiny stone. _Is that what I think it is?_ I thought, squinting at it. _Yep, I think that's a Dragoon Spirit. Better buy it, whatever the price. Ian would skin me if he heard that I'd passed up a Dragoon Spirit while knowing perfectly well what it is._

The vendor was talking to everyone who happened to pass by. "You sir!" he yelled, spotting me. "This is the much-talked-about Shining Miracle Stone! For a limited time offer, I'm selling this priceless artifact for 1,000 gold. What do you think?"

"I'll take it." Without hesitation, I took out a thousand gold and handed it to him. Accepting the Dragoon Spirit of the Golden Dragon, I headed off to find Rose. Given what Ian had told me, she'd know what to do with it.

When I finally found the others, Rose confirmed my identification of the object. "That's that Golden Dragoon Spirit, all right. We'll have to find a bearer for it eventually."

"We can discuss it later, Ryan," Dart interrupted. "For now, we're ready to head to Fletz. We've got what we need."

"Right. Tiberoa's to the west, if I remember right?" I wasn't entirely sure, since Ian had collapsed mere moments after Doel gave us the information. An incident like that is rather distracting.

"Yes," Albert confirmed. "Serdio once had close relations with Tiberoa, but since the civil war started contact has been relatively rare."

"Whatever. C'mon, let's just get going." I'd always hated politics.

We arrived in Fletz several days later. The last stage of the trip had been hurried, because Ian was worsening all the time. I did finally find a stop-gap measure, though: I used one of my Time Dragoon spells to freeze him in time. That way, Ian would at least be getting no worse.

_Pretty big city for this world,_ I thought as we entered.

"Claire Bridge…" Dart murmured, reading a sign. "That was my mother's name…"

"Your mother's name was Claire?" Haschel asked in surprise. "That is also the name of my missing daughter. Coincidence?"

I didn't hear anymore, as I was searching for a doctor. The spell I'd cast on Ian would be wearing off soon, and it was getting impractical to carry him around all over the place.

"Ryan!? Is that you!?" The voice from behind me almost gave me heart failure.

_It can't be! She's dead!_ I turned slowly. My eyes confirmed what my ears had told me. "Karen!?" My sister was standing behind me. The sister I had thought killed on the night the assassins came. _On the other hand, Ian and I thought each other dead, so why not Karen?_

Realizing that it really was me, Karen slammed into me. "Ryan, you're alive!"

"Oof! Take it easy!" She let go. "Thought you were dead, too. How did _you_ get here?"

Karen chuckled. "Would you believe I fell down a rabbit hole?"

I shook my head. "Is there anything more cliché than that? Good to see you, though. You're only the second familiar person I've encountered here."

"Someone else we know is here?"

"Yeah," I said, looking at the ground. "Ian's here, too."

"Ian's alive, too!?" Karen must have seen something in my expression. "How is he?"

"Not good," I replied. "And it's my fault."

"Your fault? How?"

"I didn't 'escape' from the attack on the dojo. The assassins captured me, and brought me to this world. I was taken to the leader of what turned out to be the Empire of Sandora, which you may have heard of by now. The Emperor, Doel, didn't even say anything at first. He just had me untied, then handed me a katana. Immediately, the sword, called the Soul Slayer, possessed me. From then on, I was Doel's unwitting assassin. He sent me to kill Ian, so I set about tracking him down. We finally met in a place called the Shrine of Shirley, where we fought a duel. Ian didn't realize that it was supposed to be a fight to the death, so he invited me to join his party. This furthered my assignment, so I went along with it until after we freed Basil's king from a prison.

"After that, things moved pretty quickly. Ian and I fought, the Soul Slayer was destroyed, and a shard of it buried itself in Ian's gut. I was freed, but we didn't think anything of the fragment until just after we killed Doel. Within moments, Ian was on the floor unconscious, presumably because the shard was attempting to turn him into a pawn, like me. He hasn't awakened since. I was looking for a doctor when you showed up."

Karen shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. You said it yourself: Doel used you. Where is Ian, anyway?"

"With the others. C'mon, I'll introduce you." 

We met up with Dart and company outside a bar. Rose was looking disgusted. "What's the problem, Rose?" I asked.

"The Tiberoans believe that the stars control your fate, and some woman just talked our ears off about it." Rose seemed to abruptly notice my companion. "Who's this?"

"Dart, everybody, this is my younger sister Karen. Karen, these are Dart, Shana, Rose, Albert, and Haschel."

They shook hands all around. "I thought the rest of your family had been killed, Ryan," Shana said.

Karen answered with a snort. "Ian, Ryan, and I have all thought each other dead at various times. I, unlike you two," looking pointedly at me, "stuck around long enough to see who each body had been. I should have been suspicious when I noticed that Ian Ryan were both missing, but I just thought they'd been killed elsewhere. Unfortunately," looking again at me, "I know for sure that our parents were killed. I carefully checked the bodies. I guess it's just as well that we ended up here."

I deliberately changed the subject. "Have you heard about the Dragoons yet?"

"Yeah," she said. "What about them?"

I held up my Dragoon Spirit. "Thought you might be interested to know that _we're_ the Dragoons."

Karen had the same reaction I had had: hers eyes practically bugged out of the sockets, and her jaw dropped. "_All_ of you!?" I nodded. "Including Ian!?"

"Yep. I'm the Time Dragoon, Dart is the Red-Eyed, Shana the White-Silver, Rose the Dark, Albert the Jade, Haschel the Violet, and Ian is the Dragoon of the Diamond Dragon."

Karen finally recovered, albeit with a little bit of shock still visible. "That's really something. Now that the introductions are finished, would you mind telling me what you're up to now?"

"We're looking for a man named Lloyd," Albert replied. "Tall, platinum hair, dressed in black. Have you seen him?"

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so. He was here a couple of days ago, but he left shortly after. What are you after him for?"

"He manipulated the Serdian Civil War, he betrayed the people who had hired him as an advisor, he killed a good friend of ours, and he's probably the one that gave Doel the Soul Slayer and had Sandorans attack the dojo." I said as calmly as I could. "That good enough reason?"

"Guess it is, at that. Where to now?" I couldn't help chuckling. Karen had always been like that. She adhered to the old axiom that it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission like a religion. It simply never occurred to her that other people might have a different idea of things, so it never entered her head not to come along, and she behaved accordingly.

Before any of us could reply, we noticed a commotion up near the Twin Castle. It appeared that Crown Princess Emille had shown up, and was being very rude. I couldn't hear it from where I was, but the reactions of the townspeople were clear enough.

Albert was clearly shocked. "But I'd heard Princess Emille was a very kind person!"

"Then you haven't been around here recently," Karen retorted. "I've been here for a month, and she's been like that the whole time. According to the residents, she started acting like that about five months before I got here. Before that, people had no trouble talking to her. Now, they flee when they hear Emille coming."

"Forget it, Albert," I said. "It's getting late, anyway. We need to find someplace to stay for the night."

"Not a problem," Dart replied. "A man named Nello has offered to put us up for the night."

"Then let's get some sleep."

"Ryan, what about Ian?" Karen asked.

"He'll be fine overnight. Tomorrow I'm going to try something, since there doesn't seem to be anyone here capable of dealing with it." I looked slightly reproachfully at Albert. "I thought you said there was a doctor in town."

He looked sheepish. "Perhaps I should have mentioned that my latest knowledge of this place is from about ten years ago. Judging from what people here have said, the doctor died five years ago."

"Great. From now on, Albert, I think I'll just assume that everything you tell us is at least two years out of date. That way the only surprises I'll get will be good ones." It was definitely getting dark, now. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

Sleep was something that Albert didn't get much of. Besides staying up to talk to the psychotic plant man Nello, Karen decided to pay him back for his outdated information: she made a _kuji_ trap. A _kuji_ trap was essentially a very creative form of practical joke. In this case, it was rather nasty. Using the magical equivalent of a tripwire to trigger it, it consisted of a rock-hard wall of invisible force about an inch above Albert's bed. As soon as contact was made with this surface, he would be flung into the wall, where a magical spider web would catch him, wrap him up, and hang him upside down from the ceiling, with a cloth gag tied over his mouth in the process.

When we found him hanging thus in the morning, I ended up laughing so hard it took me about half an hour to free him. Albert had now learned the hard way not to irritate my sister.

"So what did you mean when you said you had an idea about what to do with Ian?" Karen asked.

"I'm going to try a rather tricky _kuji_ teleportation." I walked over to where Ian lay. "I'm going to try teleporting him, but without the shard. With the shard out, our White-Silver Dragoon can heal him."

Concentrating harder than I ever had before for a _kuji _spell, I first levitated him, to avoid having him reappear _in_ the bed instead of on it. Then I carefully teleported him about a foot in the air.

I knew I had been successful when the chunk of steel hit the floor with a clang.

Shana was ready. "Moonlight!" Ian's wounds quickly healed with the metal fragment gone. I was rather amused when woke up and noticed the ropes around his limbs.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Ian."

Author's notes: A relatively short chapter, and without fighting, but I decided that it was time for a more cerebral chapter. I hope you liked the idea of a chapter centered around Ryan.

In Chapter 5: Lloyd's Betrayal, I made an error that I thought I should correct. It mentioned that two of the three surviving Dragons had shown up. It should have been _four_ surviving Dragons. I'd forgotten about Regole. Thanks for all the reviews, and please keep them coming. ~Solid Shark


	9. Chapter 9: Masamune

Okay, this time why don't I just say that I don't own _anything_ except the Takahari family. Those disclaimers were getting just too long.

Author's note: This chapter returns to Ian's perspective.

I awoke slowly, puzzled somewhat by the lack of pain. The first thing I noticed when I became fully conscious was that my arms and legs were tied. The second thing I noticed was Ryan standing nearby, grinning.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Ian."

"Ryan…" I growled. "What's up with this?"

"Relax, Ian," Dart said. "Ryan just happened to point out that you'd be easier to carry like that."

"Really. So Ryan _hasn't _gone nuts again?"

"No, he hasn't," I heard a familiar voice say. "In fact, it's because of him that you're intact."

I was quite thoroughly shocked. "Karen? Is that you?"

My supposedly dead sister looked amused. "You know, that's about the same reaction Ryan had. Speaking of which, you're lucky to be you, at all."

"What do you mean by that?" Now I was puzzled. "Last thing I remember is being knocked out by that sword fragment."

"What she means," Ryan said, "is that that fragment was trying to make you its slave. That's why you blacked out. Matter of fact, it's amazing that you resisted as long as you did. I had to cast a time spell on you, and by the end there, you were turning gray. I don't know what that meant, but the Soul Slayer's shard was clearly gaining the upper hand."

"Well," I said, "now that we've got the obligatory confusion out of the way, am I well enough to travel?" I was getting tired of being gravely injured by one thing or another.

"Yeah, you're ready," Ryan said. "Next stop is some place called the Barrens, up north of here, and from there, Donau. And if you're wondering why Albert here is looking grumpy, it's because he provided us with some out-dated information. He told us that there was a doctor here in Fletz that could deal with your wounds, but it turns out the doctor in question died five years ago. So Karen decided to use some fancy _kuji_ tricks to hang him from the ceiling all night. And it didn't help that he'd stayed up half the night talking to the psychotic plant man that owns this place."

I carefully got out of the bed, noting with relief that my legs still supported me properly. Locating my gear next to the bed, I strapped the pistols to my waist, the sword to my back, and climbing claws to my hands. Meant primarily as tools, they were still lethal hand-to-hand.

Testing a hidden mechanism in my boots, I rapped my heal on the floor. Instantly, a set of climbing claws emerged from the toe of the boot as well. Nodding in satisfaction, I pulled on my gloves, then tested another mechanism hidden within my ninja gear: spiked forearm guards, fit for stopping swords or inflicting very nasty wounds. On one occasion, I had actually reacted fast enough to snap on arrow in half on the blades.

Even Ryan and Karen were looking surprised at the deadly implements hidden in my clothing. "Uh, Ian? How long have you had _those_ up your sleeves?" Karen clearly meant both as being clever and literally.

"For a long time, Karen. I just haven't needed them here yet, and using them in training would have resulted in my losing siblings. But now, we've got very dangerous prey to deal with. I have every intention of turning Lloyd into bloody meat. Failing that," I said indicating the pistols, "I intend to blow his head to paste."

Karen's eyes were wide. "You must really mean business. I've never seen you or Ryan take such a loathing to someone you simply want to kill. Normally you reserve that for someone you want to pitch screaming off a cliff, like politicians."

Ryan replied for me. "Lavitz was our friend. We're not gonna let an arrogant Wingly get away with it."

Karen's eyes got even wider. "Lloyd's a Wingly? How do you know?"

"Know of anybody else that flies with wings of light?"

She nodded slowly. "You've got a point. But doesn't that mean that he can teleport, too?"

I grinned savagely. "That's what Dragoon Ryan is for. He's going to cast a time spell on Lloyd, allowing me, or possibly Dart or Albert, to turn Lloyd into hamburger."

"Well," Dart said, "if you three are finished thinking up graphic ways to kill Lloyd, we're ready to go."

I retracted the forearm guards. "Ready. Let's get out of Dodge."

The Endiness natives looked puzzled. "'Get out of Dodge'?" Shana sounded confused.

"Sorry. It's an expression from where we're from. Basically means that we're ready to go. Now come on. My problems have left us enough behind schedule as it is."

It took us two days to reach the Barrens. Once inside, we encountered plenty of monsters.

"You know, Dart," I said as I beheaded a Frilled Lizard, "why is it everywhere we go, we end up fighting about a million monsters?"

"I guess it's our lot in life," he replied, bisecting a Scissor Hands. "Who knows, maybe Lloyd has something to do with it."

"Possibly," Albert said as he jabbed an Arrow Shooter through the heart. "Or they may simply dislike dark clothing."

"Give me a break," Ryan retorted, slicing through a Stinger. "Just because we're ninjas and wear black as part of the job doesn't mean we attract big nasty creatures."

"Yeah," Karen agreed, using her katana to send an Earth Shaker to the next life. "We're assassins. Besides, they're probably color blind."

"Do you have anything better to do than discuss the habits of monsters?" Rose complained, using only as much force as necessary to dispatch her opponents. "This much talk will only attract more of them."

"Too late," I said, looking up. "Bandits." There were three of them, crouched atop a rock bridge. "Wonder who they are?"

The one in the center, with claws on his wrist, snickered. "They're asking who we are! Maybe they think we're doctors!" The others snickered with him. "We're the Gehrich Gang, and you'd better give us your valuables or else!"

"Let us pass or you'll need a real doctor." Rose evidently had no patience for bandits.

For that matter, neither did I. I glanced over at Ryan and Karen, who nodded back. Slowly, I drew my sword, then abruptly vanished, my siblings following suit.

When we reappeared behind the bandits, one was missing limbs and run through, another was missing his head and part of his right leg, and the leader, Mappi, was bleeding from several gashes.

In a flash, Mappi had hit Dart, knocked his Dragoon Spirit to the ground, and was off with it, snickering. "This little jewel will fetch a fine price!" And then he was gone.

"Blast it!" Dart slammed his fist into the ground. "How could he have taken me by surprise like that!?"

"We have to get it back." Rose's voice was uncompromising. "A Dragoon Spirit in the hands of a bandit would cause devastation. I doubt that it would choose someone like Mappi to bear it, but there may be others in the Gehrich gang that it would accept. Recall that Doel and Greham held Dragoon Spirits, and they were less than acceptable by normal standards."

"He may have gotten away for now, but we can find him later," Ryan said unexpectedly. He held up his left wrist, revealing something I had assumed to be a wristwatch, but evidently wasn't. "This fires tracer darts, with an anesthetic so that the target doesn't even realize he's been hit." Ryan grinned at my surprised look. "Hey, Ian, you're not the only one with fancy tricks. Gotta remember that sometimes a ninja's mission isn't the immediate death of his target. Sometimes you have to track him, in cases where, for instance, he'll lead you to his friends."

"You can talk about the tricks of your trade later," Rose snapped. "Right now, we have to retrieve a stolen Dragoon Spirit. We cannot afford to lose it, especially since we'll be going up against Lloyd sooner or later. Believe me, normal humans are no match for Winglies." She looked over at Karen, gauging her strength. "_Most_ humans, that is. There are certain exceptions."

I grinned inwardly. That was as close as Rose came to complementing someone's abilities. That was in keeping with her personality, so it didn't bother me a bit.

I turned my thoughts to the ancient Wingly artifact now in my possession. The Dark Mirror gave me the option of taking a trip to Earth if need be. I recalled one item in particular that I wanted to retrieve from the dojo.

I decided to go back for it the night we arrived at Donau. My absence wouldn't be missed there, except possibly by my ninja brother and sister, who wouldn't be concerned.

My thoughts were interrupted by Haschel. "Come on. If we pick up the pace, we can be in Donau by noon tomorrow."

"We're going to have to call it a night," Shana said. "It's getting dark."

I looked up in surprise. I hadn't realized how long I'd been lost in thought. "Right. Let's get some sleep."

As Haschel had predicted, we arrived in Donau just before noon the next day. We three ninjas broke away from the others for a while, exploring the town on our own. Rounding a corner, we encountered a young woman with a large mallet being confronted by bandits. From what I could see, the bandits had her right where she wanted them.

As we watched, she whacked one of the bandits, sending the others scurrying away in fear. "You handle a sledgehammer well for someone so young," I said.

The girl whirled, then relaxed, noting that our weapons were still sheathed. "They're just bandits," she said with a shrug. "My name's Meru, by the way. Who are you?"

"The name's Ian Takahari, and this is my brother Ryan and my sister Karen. We're ninjas." I wasn't at all surprised when Meru looked puzzled.

"Ninjas? Never heard of them. Well, nice to meet you, anyway. What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find out where those scum are based at. They took something very valuable from our group, so we want to put them out of business."

Meru brightened. "Really? The why don't I go with you?"

I looked at Ryan. "Well…"

Predictably, Meru took that for a yes. "Thanks! Let's go take out some bandits!"

_Just like Karen. But how in the world am I going to explain this Dart…?_

When we located the others, they were quite surprised by Meru's presence. "Who's this?" Dart asked.

"I'm Meru," she replied. "When Ian told me you were going after Gehrich, I decided to come along."

"Sorry, Dart," I apologized. "Wasn't much I could do. A little to much like my sister here for comfort. Took acceptance for granted."

Dart looked resigned. "Anybody have any objections?"

"The more the merrier," Haschel said, Shana nodding in agreement.

The only indeterminate response was, predictably, from Rose. She didn't bother to speak.

"Okay, Meru, I guess it's unanimous, or close enough. Welcome aboard."

That night, I took out the Mirror. After making sure the others were all asleep, I concentrated on it, thinking about the dojo. Moments later, I was in the familiar surroundings of my old home. It seemed much the same as when I had left it, and even the bodies were still there.

After taking the time to bury the dead, I returned to the interior, heading for my old room. Once there, I crouched and removed a floor board. Reaching into the concealed compartment, I pulled out a long, curved object wrapped carefully in cloth.

Partially unwrapping it, I gazed at a very old sword. Years before, I had encountered an old swordsman who adhered to the Samurai honor code. I had briefly trained with him in the art of Samurai swordsmanship, and when I had left for home, he had given me this ancient blade. The old man apparently believed that his life was almost at an end, and he wanted someone who knew how to use it have the katana.

I had never told my family about it, and I only took out the sword now because I did not expect to ever return to my old home in Japan, and I didn't want this deadly weapon to be lost for another seven hundred years, and I needed every weapon available to defeat Lloyd.

Taking out the Scroll of the Nine Hands, I studied a technique that I had never expected to need: a massive invisibility spell. Quickly memorizing it, I set down the Scroll and set to work.

When I was finished, there was no sign of the dojo, or the fresh graves where my parents and the assassins who had killed them lay buried.

It was near dawn in Donau when I returned. I wasn't surprised that Ryan and Karen were already awake.

"Ian?" Karen asked. "Where were you?"

"I was back at the dojo, retrieving this," I replied, holding up the carefully wrapped sword.

"What is it?" Ryan was understandably puzzled.

In response, I unwrapped the old katana. "It was given to me three years ago by an old Samurai that I studied under for a short while." I passed it over to them.

Drawing the ancient, but still shining blade, Ryan whistled. "You never told us about that. How old is it?"

"I didn't tell you about it because I wasn't ready. This was an old, dying man, and the sword is a very special one. It was forged in the fourteenth century by one of the great swordsmiths of Ancient Japan." I paused briefly. "It's an original Masamune."

Karen gasped. "A _Masamune!?"_

"That's right. It had been lost for seven centuries before the old man found it in his youth. To our knowledge, it has never been used. For years, I kept it in a secret compartment in the floor."

"Who was the old Samurai?" Ryan asked. "And why didn't you bring the sword with you when you first fled the dojo?"

I took back the Masamune. "I never learned his name. I'm not sure that even he remembered it. I suspect that he'd taken one too many hits to the head over the years, but I can't be certain. As for why I didn't retrieve it earlier, the answer is simple: I'd had it hidden so long I'd completely forgotten about it was only recently that I recalled it."

"Should help against Lloyd," Karen said. "Well, it looks like the others are waking up. Better get ready to go."

Author's note: Another one without much action, I know, but the next chapter should have more. For those of you who would think the Masamune a reference to Final Fantasy 7, it was instead a reference to an ancient swordsmith. As I recall, Masamune was sword maker in Japan during the 14th century. As I have an interest in such matters, I decided it would be only fitting to include a reference to his work. As usual, please read and review. -Solid Shark


	10. Chapter 10: The Starburst Dragoon

I don't own anything except the Takahari family.

I walked over to where the others were, tying the Masamune to my belt at the same time. "Ready to go, guys?"

"If you're finished discussing the history of that old relic, yes," Haschel joked.

Before he could make another move, I had swept the Masamune out of its scabbard, sliced through a hardwood pole, and put it to Haschel's throat. "Not bad for an 'old relic', eh?" I let him stew for a moment longer, then half-smiled and sheathed the sword. "Never underestimate an old weapon simply because it is old. Masamune was the greatest swordsmith of all time. A thousand years from now, this katana will still cut through flesh and bone as easily as the day it was forged. And never joke about it. There are some that do not have quite the sense of humor I do. I know some assassins that have such respect for the blades that they would kill you without a second thought for such a remark."

"I see," Haschel still looked slightly unnerved. "I'll have to remember that."

Dart laughed aloud. "There, Haschel, there's something even _you_ have to take seriously. Remember that some people truly consider their swords to be their companions."

Even Rose seemed less grim than usual. "Now you know that even jokes can be deadly."

_"Now_ can we get going!?" Meru was getting impatient. "We have to get all the way to the Valley of Corrupted Gravity, you know!"

"You know where the gang is based?" Ryan looked relieved. "That tracer of mine conked out last night. Corrupted gravity, you said?" Meru nodded. "That explains it. Probably some warped gravitational field. That'll cause problems with just about anything."

I stared at Ryan. "How did you…"

He smirked. "While you were off studying Samurai fighting, I was studying physics. Sometimes that knowledge comes in handy, particularly with _kuji_ spells."

"Whatever! Can we just get going!?" Karen sounded even more impatient than Meru. "We do have to get to King Zior and get permission to enter the Valley, don't we? So let's go!"

We arrived back in Fletz three days later. While the others went to try to get in to see the king the direct way, I acted on a hunch and went to see an astronomer we'd met earlier that worked for the royal family. The astronomer, Fester, led me to the castle, where we met up with the others. In the company of Fester, the guard immediately let us through.

In the Chamber of the Sun, throne room of Tiberoa, we met King Zior. "I think there's something wrong with my eyes," Zior complained. "I see several Festers!"

"No, Your Majesty, there is only one me," Fester replied. "These are people that sought an audience with you."

The king turned to Dart. "And what do you need of me?"

"Your Majesty, we request permission to enter the Valley of Corrupted Gravity," Dart said.

"I think I've heard of the Valley of Corrupted Gravity," Zior thought aloud.

"Your ears are fine, Your Majesty," Fester said.

_What the blazes? This guy seems really dumb for a king. What is going here? Could it have something to do with the change in Princess Emille?_ This was starting to make me very nervous. There was something very wrong going on. Even Albert was starting to get an odd look on his face. He'd met Zior before, so he knew something wasn't right. _Well, at the moment all I care about is that we get the senile king's permission to enter the never-to-be-sufficiently-accursed Valley of Corrupted Bloody Gravity._

The king seemed to at least temporarily regain his senses. "Very well, you may travel there if you wish." Zior nodded to a guard, who handed Dart something that looked somewhat like a passport.

_Finally, we can get out of here. I don't like senile old men, and a _middle-aged king _who's senile is something truly scary. I'm just glad I don't live here where his senile mind could cause _me_ trouble._

We were almost out of the castle when we heard someone calling to us. "You Majesty Albert? I am Libria, Princess Lisa's maid. The princess wishes to speak with you."

"How did she know who he was?" I mused quietly.

Libria apparently heard me. "She speaks with the stars. Astrology is her guide."

I had been willing to give Princess Lisa the benefit of the doubt before, but the reference to astrology caused me to snort in disgust. "You guys talk to the princess if you want. I'm going somewhere more sensible."

My brother and sister fell into step on either side of me. None of us had any respect for astrology. We had been raised in a tradition that included so-called "mystical" elements, but _kuji_ was science. Astrology was semi-religious gobbledygook.

"Dumm," I muttered. Anyone who believed in astrology was an idiot.

We had explored most of the accessible castle when Libria tracked us down, saying it was time for the banquet.

The banquet itself was not very pleasant. If Princess Emille was rude normally, she was an absolute pig when it came to table manners. I quickly lost all appetite after watching her eat.

I began to wish that I could simply leave in the middle of it all, but even if the princess was being a slob, I had to keep up appearances. I did find some solace when I evidently offended Emille. She had called my siblings and me weird, and I had taken it as a complement. Ninjas aren't really supposed to be normal. Normal people don't make very good assassins. Albert, for instance, would probably consider it dishonorable, and Shana would be horrified by the very thought of having to do such a thing.

When the banquet was finally over, I wandered away from the others in order to do some private experimentation.

After reaching an unfrequented area, I took out the Scroll of the Nine Hands. Setting it on the floor next to me, I took out my Dragoon Spirit. I had a theory that the Dragoon Spirit could be used to aid in _kuji_ spells.

Concentrating on the Dragoon Spirit, I thought of a _kuji _spell that I had used on couple of other occasions, but made none of the hand motions.

As I had hoped, but only half-expected, I promptly became invisible. My theory had been correct: using a _kuji_ technique through a Dragoon Spirit allowed the user to forego the usual preliminaries, something that could be very useful indeed when neither hand was free.

I returned to the guest room early the next morning, looking much as I had when I had split off the previous night.

As we left the castle, I pulled Ryan aside. "What's up, Ian? Something to do with why you didn't get any sleep?"

"You might say that, Ryan. As a matter of fact, I was doing _kuji_ experiments. Watch." By this time, we had exited the town, so I selected a nearby bush for a demonstration.

A bush that abruptly burst into flame. Ryan turned to me with wide eyes. "Did you do that?" I nodded. "But how? You didn't make any of the usual motions…"

"I discovered last night that a Dragoon Spirit can serve as… well, call it a focusing point. Remember that _kuji_ isn't magic. What I did was concentrate the energy that _kuji_ uses into the Dragoon Spirit. Since the Dragoon Spirits are essentially 'attuned' to us, we can then discharge the energy as normal _kuji_ spells. The only difference is that we use the Dragoon Spirit instead of just our own innate mental abilities."

"That would be useful, at that," Ryan said thoughtfully. "Karen won't be able to do it, of course, since she doesn't have a Dragoon Spirit, but…" He trailed off as he noticed a sickly grin on my face. "What is it, Ian?"

I chuckled humorlessly. "Oh, nothing. Just that I've been hearing rumors of another Dragon causing problems. One that not even Rose has heard of."

Ryan paled. "Another?" His mouth worked a few more times without making a sound. He finally spoke again in a hoarse whisper. "Do you know where it is?"

I lost the grin. "The Valley of Corrupted Gravity."

Ryan went white as a sheet.

We arrived in the Valley of Corrupted Gravity several days later. The news of the Dragon, reportedly called the Starburst Dragon, had caused even Rose to become grim. If Rose had known of it, we would have undoubtedly been in higher spirits, but facing something completely unknown wore on one's nerves.

The guards let us through without question after we showed them the pass King Zior had given us. Upon entering, I was struck by the thought that perhaps gravity really _was_ corrupted here. This occurred to me when I noticed that I was several feet above the ground, and I hadn't used _kuji_ or my Dragoon Spirit.

"Wha!?" Not only was I not on the ground, I wasn't really _over_ it. Evidently, I had accidentally walked right of the path and was floating _next_ to the ground. Hurriedly, I took a grappling hook off my belt, swung it onto the rocky ground, and pulled myself back. "Whew! That wasn't fun." No one replied. "Guys?"

With a sense of foreboding, I turned to look where the others were staring. There, flapping its great wings, hovered a Dragon. It was so bright in color that it almost hurt to look at it.

_Not again. Why is it we keep encountering Dragons? From what I've heard, there hadn't been any seen for a good thousand years or more, and now we've encountered four of them?_

I quickly drew the Masamune, while Karen and Ryan drew their swords. Ryan was carrying the Soul Cleaver, which I had given to him after retrieving the Masamune.

Rose took a deep breath and drew her rapier. "Looks like we have to fight this one, too. Be on your guard. I've never heard of it, so it will have unexpected tricks up its sleeve."

I was about to reply when I heard a snarl off to my right, and Karen launched herself out into the air toward the Dragon. "Karen, wait!" She either didn't hear me or didn't care, because she kept right on going, using the warped gravity to her advantage. "Blast it," I muttered. "C'mon, Ryan! Let's deep-six that thing before our impetuous sister gets herself killed!"

Without waiting to see if Dart and the others were following, we leapt after Karen, transforming mid-air. "What else do you expect from a fifteen-year-old, anyway?" Ryan yelled back to me.

"At least _some_ sense!" I replied. "We weren't that bad at her age, now were we?"

"Oh, I don't know. I seem to remember you once torching a tree just because you whacked your head on it."

"Forget it! Let's just take that thing down before something _really_ bad happens!" I flapped for more speed.

As we were speaking, Karen reached the Starburst Dragon and was throwing shurikens at it. When she realized they weren't doing any good, she drew her katana again and vanished, appearing in brief flashes all around it, inflicting some deep wounds.

But the Dragon was tough, and it finally retaliated by opening its mouth and letting loose with a blast of fire, scorching Karen.

"Ryan!" I shouted. "Catch her! I'll deal with this!"

Ryan was already moving, flying quickly to snatch her out of the air. "Ian! Hurry! She's hurt bad!"

I continued on toward the durable Dragon, preparing a spell at the same time. "Eat this! Diamond Storm!" The hail of diamond stones managed to rip the right front leg off the creature, but it was able to counter-attack, sweeping its tail and knocking me back. I collided with Ryan, and the Masamune sank deep into his chest.

"Oof!" The pain didn't seem to have hit Ryan yet, and he even managed to crack a smile. "Well, Ian, I guess this is it. The last of the Takahari family wiped out by a Dragon. It was fun while it lasted."

Before I could reply, however, someone yanked the Masamune out of Ryan's chest, and then I heard Shana. "Moonlight!"

I'd forgotten she was even there, but the healing spell quickly repaired our injuries. Karen was the first one to come back to her feet.

Before we could stop her, she had resumed her attack on the Dragon. But this time, she went straight for its mouth, moving with blinding speed as she charged down its throat. A moment later, there was a bright line cutting through the side of the creature, and then Karen appeared at its tail.

The bisected Dragon drifted down and hit the rocks heavily. This time I wasn't even surprised when I saw the Dragoon Spirit lift from the carcass and float over to Karen.

Karen, on the other hand, was in a state of shock. It evidently hadn't occurred to her that the Starburst Dragon would leave a Dragoon Spirit as well. "Does this mean what I think it does?"

Ryan answered for me, having been through the same thing fairly recently. "It is indeed. You're now the Dragoon of the Starburst Dragon. Congratulations."

_So now we're a family of Dragoons. Fascinating…_

Author's note: There! Some more action at last. By the way, for anyone who might be interested, I intend this story to be only the first in a series of stories. I intend to start on the sequel as soon as the first is finished. Suggestions are welcome. Also, for those who don't speak a word of German, "Dumm" means stupid. Thanks for all the reviews, and please keep them coming.


	11. Chapter 11: The Destruction of the Gehri...

I don't own anything except the Takahari family

Most of the rest of the trip through the Valley of Corrupted Gravity was uneventful, but when we neared the end of the valley, we saw something that nearly stopped my heart: a Virage, this one fully grown. It appeared to be fossilized, but then the one in Volcano Villude had been buried in lava. I had every reason to believe that this one was still alive as well.

Karen and Ryan noticed my pale face. "What _is_ that thing, Ian?" Karen asked.

I glanced over. "Oh, right. Neither of you were at Villude. Well, the answer is not encouraging. It's a Virage."

Ryan paled, too, for he recalled what I'd said about them, but Karen hadn't been with us long enough for me to fully apprise her of past events. "A Virage?"

"The Winglies' answer to the Dragons," I replied shortly.

"Well, it's dead, isn't it? Nothing to worry about."

Rose snorted. "If you think it's dead than you've never encountered one. Old age doesn't kill them, and their hatred of Dragoons will revive them unless they're completely destroyed." She looked speculatively at Karen. "Have your Dragoon Spirit ready. We _will_ have to fight it."

Dart nodded. "Rose is right. The Winglies bred them for one purpose: to prevent Humans from freeing themselves. A hatred of Dragoons is a part of them. Besides which, any of these creatures is a danger to every that might come near. It's our duty to destroy them if we find them."

Shana unexpectedly sank to her knees. "I hear the voice again. It's calling me…" While Dart rushed to her side, the rest of us continued toward the loathsome monster. "No! Don't go near it!" Shana was beginning to sound frantic.

"Shana, we have to if we're going to stop the bandits," Albert said. "The Virage is directly in our path. Besides, Dart's right. We have to kill it."

She slowly stood. "You're right."

It took us mere minutes after that to reach the base of the enormous Virage. I hadn't realized until then just how large a fully-formed Virage was.

"Be careful of its left arm," Rose said. "It has an attack that will kill instantly. Dart," she added, turning, "you should probably hang back, since you don't have your Dragoon Spirit."

Dart nodded reluctantly. "Well, we at least have someone to pick up the slack," he said, indicating Karen. "Good luck with your first battle as a Dragoon."

The rest of us, with the exception of Meru, advanced on the Virage. I drew the Masamune with my right hand and reached for my Dragoon Spirit with my left.

I was distracted momentarily when Karen began her transformation. There was a bright flare, as if she were at the heart of a supernova. When it faded, Karen hovered several feet above the ground, wearing armor that looked like Shana's, but blue-white in color, reminding me of the star Rigel.

"Star Flare!" The heat of a sun struck the Virage in the left arm, disposing of the threat of instant-death.

Ryan turned toward me. "Haste!"

Suddenly, everything around me seemed to slow down, and I was moving through the air at an incredible speed. Ryan's spell had sped me up relative to the rest of the universe. It only seemed that things had slowed down.

In the limited time I had before slowing, I inflicted deep wounds on the foul monster. Unfortunately, I happened to slow to normal time right in front of the Virage's right arm. The subsequent blow, while it couldn't penetrate my diamond armor, succeeded in knocking me back into Ryan.

"Astral Drain!" Rose's thoughtful spell hurt the Virage and got us back on our feet, while Haschel charged a spell of his own.

"Thunder God attack!" He drilled repeatedly into the ground, finally charging straight up through the monster.

"Rose Storm!" Albert added his protection spell, something which could easily mean the difference between life and death.

After this had gone on for a while, Karen finally decided to end it with one of her most powerful spells. "Nova!" With the power of an exploding sun, the Virage was pushed back near the edge.

But before it died, it reached toward Shana, powerful claws outstretched. "Shana!" Dart screamed. We knew we could never reach her in time…

And then, the same thing that had happened to the Guardian of the Limestone Cave struck the creature, light emanating from Shana and pushing the Virage over the edge of the cliff.

We ran over to Shana. "Shana, what are you to the Virages?" Rose demanded.

"I don't know… I don't know anything!" Dart slowly led her away.

We three ninjas stood a little ways a away from the others. "Congratulations, Karen," Ryan said.

"Interesting spells, and powerful ones," I added.

"Thanks." Karen looked exhausted, but also exhilarated at having fought as a Dragoon for the first time.

We rejoined the others. "Well, I guess the path is clear now. Let's go kill some bandits."

It took only hours to reach the hideout of the bandits after exiting the bizarre valley. We had incentive, after all, what with Dart's Dragoon Spirit having been stolen.

The traps were easily dealt with, and we made swift progress. Until, that is, we were stopped by a large round boulder and pelted with arrows.

When they tired of shooting arrows that were promptly broken in half by my forearm guards, three of the bandits came down to challenge us directly.

Haschel gasped when he saw the fighting style of the bandit in the lead. "That looks like the Rouge School!"

"We'll discuss it in a minute, Haschel," I said. "In the meantime…" I whirled, drawing my pistols from my waist and plugging the two lesser bandits in the head and chest.

Haschel had quickly knocked-out his opponent and was interrogating him. It didn't take long, and Haschel was quickly standing. "The man in charge of the bandits is a former student of mine. I expelled him twenty years ago for being irresponsible." He turned to the stone blocking our path. "Now I'll show you the true Rouge School." Without further comment, he punched the wall.

It fell into dust.

After entering, Haschel complained of a backache. We left him with Meru and explored another section of the ruins. When we returned, Meru was on the ground and Haschel was nowhere to be found.

"He must have decided to take on Gehrich by himself," I said. "Blast it! We shouldn't have left him like that." I headed up a nearby staircase. "This way."

I entered the next room just in time to see Mappi jumping at Haschel. _Not this time, Mappi,_ I thought. Before the bandit could land, he was flying back with a hole in his wrist where his claws had been, a hole in his chest that blew him backwards, and bloody paste where his head had been.

"Not bad," an old-sounding voice said. "But I'm disappointed. Firearms, where swords would have done the job?"

I spun in shock. _Give me a break! If one more person I thought dead shows up, I'm just gonna commit hara-kiri!_

Aloud, I said, "Sensei. Another man I thought dead is alive. Though I admit to being disappointed in you, as well. You once adhered to the Samurai honor code, and now you're working for bandits? You lost your honor, and have thus forfeited your life. I claim it, and you shall die." Glancing back at the others, I said, "You guys deal with Gehrich. I have a personal score to settle with my former teacher."

Without waiting for a reply, I swept the Masamune out of its scabbard and fell into a guard stance. "Alright, Sensei, come and get me."

The old man shook his head. "Did you learn nothing from me? You cannot win on the defensive. You must attack!"

"Mind games. You're trying to use my former respect for you to befuddle my memory. But I have learned much in three years. You'll have to do better than that if you wish to defeat me."

"As you wish." Without warning, he struck at me, then struck again and again, a fast flurry of blows that I was quick to intercept with my own katana. "Hmm. You've learned somewhat. But you are no match for me."

"Pu-lease. You've forgotten one thing, old man. Even the mighty Samurai looked over their shoulders when they heard that a ninja was in the area." On the heals of that statement, I lowered my guard long enough to use a _kuji_ spell, sending a blast of energy at him.

"You actually believe those old wives' tales? You're more of an idiot than I thought. The Samurai were the mightiest warriors the world has ever seen." He took another swipe at me, this time grazing my face.

"A hydrogen bomb might argue that point," I said dryly.

"I see you've also lost an eye," he said, ignoring my previous comment. "You've gotten careless."

"So have you. You're an old man who hasn't even had a proper duel in twenty years. You're no match for a young ninja." I feinted a couple times. "Enough of this nonsense. Let's finish this now!" Simultaneously, we rushed each other, blades up for the killing cut…

And I emerged on the other side, the old man whose name I had never learned falling headless behind me.

Author's note: Fairly short, but more action than I've included lately. And here we have yet another in a long string of headless corpses left in the dust. In case you didn't figure it out on your own, the old Samurai was the same one who gave Ian the Masamune. Keep reading and reviewing, if you please.


	12. Chapter 12: Battle for the Moon Dagger

I don't own anything except the Takahari family

I stood from the body of my former mentor. "Good riddance, you senile old man," I muttered. I turned to see how Haschel's fight against Gehrich had gone.

He was just finishing Gehrich off. After Gehrich slammed into the statue in the middle of the room, the bandit suddenly looked up. "Master, please run!"

_What?_ I followed Gehrich's gaze. _Oh. No._ The right hand of the statue, holding a staff, was breaking loose, falling directly toward us. "Let's get out of here!"

__

"No time!" Albert yelled.

_Is this how it ends? The legendary Dragoons crushed to death by a stone statue? How ignominious._ Nonetheless, the stone was clearly going to hit us. It fell…

And it stopped. I looked slowly to the person who had stopped it. And my jaw fell to the floor.

It was Kongol, the enormous Giganto that we had fought twice before. Why had he saved us?

"Kongol!?" Dart was as surprised as I was.

Kongol heaved the heavy stone off the platform we were on, then turned to us. "Kongol not your enemy anymore. Dragoons defeated Doel. Kongol wants to see your power."

Before he could say anything else, something in my pack started glowing. When I opened it, the Dragoon Spirit of the Golden Dragon floated over to Kongol.

"?" Kongol looked puzzled. This I did not find surprising, given his speech patterns. He was probably smarter than he sounded, but no doubt there was still a great many things he wouldn't at first understand.

"This is our power, Kongol," Dart said. "Now you are a Dragoon, like us. You're welcome to join. But would you happen to know where they would have hidden my Dragoon Spirit?"

In answer, Kongol pointed to a switch across the room. "Push that. Room below us is where they stored valuables."

"While you're checking down there, guys, we'll get ready to leave." I said, also indicating my siblings.

"All right. Be careful. There may still be bandits around."

"Aren't we always?"

We left shortly thereafter, once Dart had located the Red-Eye Dragoon Spirit and Albert and Meru had rescued Lin, the fellow from Donau that had decided to stop the bandits on his own and then been captured. He split off from us in the Barrens, heading for home, while we continued on to Fletz. Now that we knew the "Emille" there was an imposter, we shouldn't have too much trouble restoring Tiberoa to normal.

It took us a day and a half from there to get to Fletz. We were in a hurry, since "Emille" was coming of age soon, and would receive the Moon Dagger that day.

Upon entering the city, we went straight to the Twin Castle, where the door guard let us in without question. We found the castle full of knights that didn't quite seem right.

Experimentally killing one, I found that the "knights" were actually surviving members of the Gehrich Gang.

"Dart," I said, standing, "we have to hurry. From the looks of things, the Coming of Age ceremony has already begun. We have to find the real princess and stop the ceremony as soon as possible."

"Right. Ian, you, Ryan, and Karen keep an eye on things here and take out as many of the guards as you can. The rest of us will find Princess Lisa and look for Emille." Dart loosened his sword in its sheath as he spoke.

"Okay. Hurry." As they left, I rapped both boots on the floor, bringing out the climbing claws. Using those and the ones on my gloves, I quickly climbed to the ceiling where I could keep an eye out for guards. "Ryan, you take the one on the right. Karen, you take the left."

"Right." She moved stealthily towards the bandit.

"No, left." Ryan chimed in with his trademark tendency towards bad jokes, then jumped. He landed on the shoulders of his assigned target and swiftly drove Soul Cleaver down through the top of the bandit's head, the tip emerging through his chin. "One down."

Karen chose to take a flying leap, somersaulting through the air to drive her sword through her target's spinal cord, killing him instantly. "That's two."

I shook my head. "And I thought _I_ had unpleasant ways of killing people." I broke off as I noticed another bandit heading our way. He spotted his dead comrades and opened his mouth to yell a warning. Before he could say anything, however, I dropped from the ceiling, punched him in the throat, and stabbed him the gut, pulling the blade through as if opening a can. Before it could get too messy, I cast a _kuji_ fire spell, incinerating the carcass.

_C'mon, Dart, hurry…_

It was only a few minutes later when Dart and the others rejoined us, accompanied by Princesses Lisa and Emille. The _real_ Emille, in this case.

Dart looked around in confusion. "Where are the guards?" Then he spotted the bodies. "Oh. Well, we can halt the ceremony now. Let's go."

We burst in on the ceremony without warning. "Your Majesty, stop!"

The poor old man looked from one Emille to the other in confusion. "What is going on? There are two Emilles!"

"Don't give her the Moon Dagger! That one's an imposter!" I pointed my sword in emphasis.

It was apparently too late. The imposter jumped up, snatched the Moon Dagger, and ran for the balcony railing. "Hmph! So you found out! Well, it's too late!"

Albert shook his head. "Give up. There's nowhere for you to run."

"Emille" snorted. "Wrong! Let me show you the true Miss Lenus!" When the subsequent light faded, a female Wingly was standing there.

"A Wingly, huh? No doubt working for Lloyd."

I took some satisfaction in noting Lenus's surprise. "How'd you know that!? Nobody remembers Winglies anymore!"

"Well, we do," Dart said. "And we're about to show you why."

Realizing what Dart was implying, I gripped my Dragoon Spirit. I was covered in the familiar diamond armor within moments. Seconds after that, there were nine Dragoons hovering there. "Your Majesty, I suggest you leave this thug to us."

As the king and his daughters left, Lenus looked outraged. "THUG!? I'll kill you just for that!"

"I don't think so." My sister was preparing a spell. "Take this. Supernova!" Karen's preemptive strike, her most powerful spell, nearly knocked Lenus over the railing.

"Not bad! But I'm just getting started." She traced a pattern through the air. When it was completed, we were blasted with a Black Rain attack, which Shana bore the brunt of.

She retaliated by summoning the White-Silver Dragon, healing herself and pummeling Lenus.

"Final Burst!" Dart, flaming, slammed into her, doing considerable harm.

_So Lenus is Water-based. Interesting._ This, however, was of little significance to me, since my magic was non-elemental. Instead, I used one of my Diamond spells. "Diamond Storm!"

Logically, the hail of diamonds should have torn her to pieces, but Lenus evidently used some form of protective spell and was merely scratched.

"Astral Drain!" Rose had apparently decided to compound Lenus's injuries while she could, and healed some of her own injuries in the process.

Finally, Lenus appeared to have had enough. "I don't have time for this! See ya!" She vaulted over the railing, rising back into view moments later on wings of light. "Try and catch me now!" Lenus flew quickly off into the distance, leaving us with the knowledge that we had failed to stop another of Lloyd's plots.

Author's note: Another short chapter, but the next one should be better. Remember, reviews help me improve the story, so please keep them coming.


	13. Chapter 13: Twilight on the Queen Fury

I don't own anything except the Takahari family

Note: This is another chapter from Ryan's perspective. I find that sometimes you can get a better feel for the character when he is seen through someone else's eyes.

Three days after Lenus got away from Fletz with the Moon Dagger, we boarded the Tiberoan flagship, the _Queen Fury_, at Donau, for the trip to the island city Fueno.

Kongol's reaction was brief. "Kongol is excited. This bigger than me."

I was more cynical, as usual. "We've got bigger back home. I mean, just to get from Japan to Alaska you have to travel on something two or three times the size of this boat."

Albert and Meru seemed almost offended. "Maybe, but this is the biggest we've got," Albert said. "You have to remember that certain things are a matter of perspective. To anyone from Tiberoa, this represents the cutting edge of technology."

"Can we just get on with this?" Ian asked. "We _do_have a ship to catch."

We were quickly welcomed aboard by the ship's second-in-command, who was, oddly enough, a young girl. Presumably the girl, Kayla, was rather precocious, since she seemed to have a very good idea of what was going on with the ship.

After the _Queen Fury_left port, our group dispersed, finding various locations on the ship where solitude was possible. By twilight I had found the prow of the ship, near where Shana was talking to seagulls. _Odd that this planet, so far from Earth, should also have seagulls, the prolific scavengers. On the other hand, seagulls are everywhere on Earth, so why not every life-bearing planet?_

Looking aft, I spotted Ian on the top of the crow's nest, above the platform. Predictably, despite the wind, the rocking of the ship, and the small size of the mast's top, he was standing as if on level ground, gazing out upon the sea. I recognized this mood of his, having seen it numerous times when going between our homes in Alaska and Japan via ship. The sea always seemed to put him in a contemplative mood.

Deciding to see what was up, I headed aft to the ship's interior, where I could get to the crow's nest. I passed Shana along the way.

"Hi, Ryan." She had evidently noticed my presence. "What's up?"

I pointed at the mast. "Ian's gone moody. I want to see what's bothering him."

"I guess he would have some things to think about. I think his time here has affected him more than you."

"I guess so. Most of the time since I got here was spent as a puppet, whereas Ian's been in the thick of things." I fell silent for a moment. "I don't think he intends to go back, either. The only other place I've seen him this much at peace was a place in our world called Alaska. It's far to the north, with nothing but cold, empty expanses of snow all around. Even the mountains of Japan where the family dojo was located didn't put him as much at ease."

Shana looked thoughtful. "You've said you're assassins." I nodded, puzzled by the apparent non sequitur. "When did Ian first kill a person?"

A light dawned. "I'm not sure. He's never mentioned it." I spoke slowly, contemplating something that I had never before considered. "One night, though, Ian returned to the dojo with an odd air about him. He went straight to his room and didn't come out for three days. When he finally did, I got the impression that he hadn't slept, but had rather been meditating. That was about three or four years ago, when he was thirteen or fourteen."

"Would that have been around the time he first went to Alaska?"

"I think so. After that night, Ian always seemed a little preoccupied while at the dojo. And there was one nearby mountain that he refused to go anywhere near, one which he had previously climbed fairly regularly. Something happened then, and ever since, Ian's only truly been at ease in the snowy wastes. Until he came here."

Shana nodded slowly. "So Japan's mountains weren't home for him anymore. I'd wondered why he didn't seem very depressed at the thought of not being able to go back. Ian probably thinks that this is the best thing that's happened to him in a long time."

I shook my head in confusion. "You seem to know my brother better than I do."

Shana shrugged. "Remember that Ian was with our group for a while before you joined us. After the events before and after his arrival in Endiness, he's changed somewhat, and he was probably in a certain amount of shock. I think Ian revealed more of his inner thoughts than he otherwise would have, and you simply weren't here to witness it."

"You're probably right." I thought about it some more. It made sense, especially since I wasn't thinking clearly the first week or so after meeting Ian again. After the assassins killed our parents, and he inexplicably arrived in this world, he'd have felt vulnerable. He would have found the first group he could trust and stuck with them, learning about the world that was now his home.

Thinking about it now, I realized that the Serdian War had sparked something in Ian, giving him a cause to fight for and friends to fight alongside. He'd bonded with his comrades, and would accompany them to the underworld, if that was what it took to make things right in Endiness. I knew now that he had no reason to go back to Japan or Alaska, that he had no desire to do. Ian would almost certainly remain here even after we settled things with Lloyd.

"Yeah, I guess you're right at that. Well, thanks for the insights. I'm gonna go see what Ian's up to. Besides the top of the crow's nest, that is." Finally heading into the ship's cabin, I climbed to the bridge. From there, I could climb to the high point where my twin brother was brooding.

I passed Dart near the ladder. He looked up briefly. "Hey, Ryan. Looking for Ian?"

"Yeah. Anyone else up there?"

He nodded. "Rose is in the crow's nest itself. Not sure what she's doing."

I shrugged. "Have we ever had any idea what Rose is thinking about?" I continued to the ladder, climbing to the top. From there, I was forced to levitate, hovering next to Ian.

He didn't even seem to notice me, appearing to be oblivious to everything but the ocean and murmuring under his breath. I caught a few lines of John Masefield's poem Sea Fever, which I knew to be a favorite of his.

Ian finally turned to look at me. "Hello, Ryan. What brings you up here?"

I shook my head. Always the same with him. "I was going to ask you the same thing. I know you like the sea, but it's not like you to brood on top of a mast."

Ian laid a hand on the hilt of the katana slung on his back. "It just brings back memories. Do you know why I went to Alaska when I was thirteen?" Without waiting for an answer, he went on. "I needed to get away from Japan's familiar mountains for a while. That was when I first killed a man."

He gazed at his hands for a moment, as if seeing blood on them. "I was going on a hike up the mountain, the way I always used to, when someone dropped out of tree off to my right, a gun in his hand. He never said a word, just began shooting at me."

Ian didn't seem to be in the here-and-now. He was lost in his memories. "I had no choice. I pulled my sword, which has since been lost, and rushed him. I don't think he expected a young ninja to show so little fear. As it was, it startled him enough that I was able to kill him without his firing another shot. I ran him through, and it was over. I had made my first human kill. After that, I just had to get away for a while. You don't forget something like that."

"Did you ever find out anything about him?" As I had suspected, this was something I'd never heard about.

"Yeah. Two years ago, I met a ninja from another clan. He mentioned that that year a group had been formed with one purpose: killing ninja. The ninja-hunters had managed to kill two, but were quickly hunted down after that." Ian gazed at the sea again. "In fact, I first thought that the assassins at the dojo were remnants of the group."

I nodded. "But they weren't." It wasn't a question.

"No. They were Sandorans, and they made the Serdian War personal. I came to Endiness, and met Dart, Lavitz, and Shana. I went with them to Bale to meet the king, and stuck with them through the assault on Hoax. I continued with them after Rose joined our group, and I became a Dragoon. I fought with them when we rescued Albert, and battled Doel alongside them after Lavitz's death." Ian had again forgotten my presence. "You know, I kept expecting to wake up at home, to find that this was all a dream. I hoped that I would. And then Lloyd murdered Lavitz. Then I wanted nothing more than kill him with my bare hands, and I lost all desire to go home."

_So I was right…_ I let Ian talk, not wanting to disturb him.

He looked at me again. "I'm not going back, Ryan. Endiness is my home now. All that's left for me in Japan is memories, and Alaska, while peaceful, doesn't need me." Ian stared into the distance. "But here, I have comrades, a cause, something to fight for. I'll fight with Dart, Rose, and the rest for as long as the battle is there to be fought. When we have stopped Lloyd, I'll find somewhere in this world to settle for a while, until I'm needed again." He chuckled humorlessly. "Believe me, there'll be a need for the Dragoons again. Regrettably, there is no true peace in this life. As long as there are people, there will be conflict and evil. As long as there is conflict and evil, the Dragoons will be needed."

"We'll be with you," I said. "Karen and I will be here, too. Besides, life is dull for an unemployed ninja."

Ian nodded absently. "Maybe, when this is over, I'll start teaching a new generation of ninja, the first in Endiness. Along with Haschel, maybe. Teach them in the Rouge School."

"Well, don't get too far ahead of yourself. We've still got to kill that piece of slime Lloyd. And it's a little early to be talking about the 'next generation'. We're only seventeen, and Karen's only fifteen. We've got a long time to worry about this."

Ian simply nodded. Then I headed back down, leaving him to his thoughts.

Author's note: That one was a bit longer. On the matter of John Masefield's poem, if you haven't read it, I suggest you do so. In my opinion, no one should go without reading it at least once.

Also, as I mentioned in the opening notes, I chose to do this chapter from Ryan's perspective because, in my view, it revealed more of Ian's character and background than it would have if I'd done it from Ian's point of view. Anyway, read it and let me know what you think of it. ~Solid Shark


	14. Chapter 14: Ghosts and Vampires

I don't own anything except the Takahari family

Note: This chapter returns to Ian's perspective.

It wasn't long after Ryan left that the Phantom Ship came into view. I was the first to spot it, given my vantage point. Unfortunately for my safety, the sight at first failed to penetrate my reverie, a fact that I quickly came to regret, as the ghost ship promptly rammed the _Queen Fury._ While I was on top of the mast.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!" The impact sent me flying off the _Queen Fury's_ mast and onto the Phantom Ship's deck, a second impact which knocked me unconscious.

I came to in a very unsettling situation: I was surrounded by apparently malevolent ghosts, and both my katanas were lying several feet away, having been jolted out of their scabbards. _Great. Why is it always me? And where's Ryan with the Soul Cleaver when you need him? That'd probably deal with these things._

Though I didn't expect it to work on non-corporeal targets, I swept my Desert Eagles out of their holsters and opened fire, desperately spitting round after round into the horrid things.

Click. I glanced down. The slides on the pistols were locked back. Out of ammo. I looked up again. The phantoms were unharmed. "This ain't good."

_Wait a minute. Non-corporeal. They might be able to hit me, but their very nature means…_ I dove straight through them, rolled, and retrieved both swords.

"Ian!" Recognizing Ryan's voice, I stood back as he dropped in, sweeping the Soul Cleaver all around. With howls of pure torment, they vanished.

"Thanks, Ryan. Wasn't sure how to deal with those things." I calmly sheathed the katanas. "Is everyone alright?"

"Not sure. We can't find Shana." Ryan sheathed his own blade.

"She's probably here. Look, Ryan, you go on ahead. I can handle things here." I drew Masamune again.

"Wait a minute. I thought you couldn't kill those things on your own. And why would you want to be poking around here?"

"There's something I want to investigate. Call it a hunch. And don't worry. Magic should work on these things."

"If you're sure…" Ryan shrugged and leapt away, no doubt to rejoin the others.

After he'd gone, I headed for the pilot house, from where I had heard an odd noise coming. With no patience for niceties such as lock-picking, I simply kicked the door in, drawing the Masamune at the same time.

"Oh, no," I moaned, "not again." There was a vampire standing in front of me. "Didn't I kill you already, Draco?"

Draco the vampire smiled evilly. "You missed my weak spot, I'm afraid. And now I'm back to take my revenge."

_I remember thinking when the old man showed up that next time something like this happened, I'd kill myself. Guess I can't hold to that now. This is an old score that I need to settle, and I won't have the task fall to anyone else. This monster has murdered too many people, and worse._

I readied my blade. "This time you don't escape, you _nekulturny_ bat. I won't have a creature right out of Earth's horror stories exist."

The vampire drew a weapon of its own, a slim, fifteen-inch stiletto. "Go ahead and try it, assassin, but I'm going to teach you why ninja shouldn't be vampire hunters." Then his eyes widened as I sheathed my sword. "Leaving yourself defenseless? You've lost your senses since we fought in that castle on the Rhine last year. Even the time before, in Venice, you showed more intelligence."

I smirked. "Are you sure? Or could it be that my skills have improved such that I feel confident that I can draw my sword before you get anywhere near? And you're not too smart either, using a dagger against a sword. I thought you used a broadsword."

"I do. But a knife can be useful, too." Draco threw the knife.

Time seemed to slow as the dagger sailed toward my heart. I reached for the hilt of the katana slung on my back, lurching to one side at the same time…

Too late. The slim knife hit me in the left arm, piercing the thick cloth and lodging in my elbow. "Urgh!" My katana clattered to the deck, while I fell to my knees, clutching the wound.

My old foe drew his broadsword from with his cape. "You've lost your touch, Takahari. Now, you're going to lose your life. You'll soon be one less thorn in my side."

"I don't think so, 'mon ami'," I said sarcastically. I slowly stood, yanking the knife out of my arm. "Seems to me that you've caused me more trouble than I've caused you. This fight will be our last. This time, the blade goes through your filthy heart!" Before the startled vampire could react, I swept Masamune out of its scabbard and knocked Draco's sword aside.

"You're tougher than I thought, Takahari. This will be a good fight. But only one of us will walk away from this battle, and it's not going to be you." He began a quick series of slashes, which I blocked as well as I could.

_Blast! The old vampire's gotten better of late. But I can still clean his clock. I hope._ I went on the offense, aiming for Draco's chest. He fouled the sword in his cape, then jerked me off balance.

What he did next frightened me: he pulled out a chain, the sword's natural enemy, and began twirling it over his head, then flung it out at me, catching my sword in its links. Once again, Draco knocked me off balance, this time bringing his sword to my throat.

"Tut, tut. I suppose this is the end of our rivalry, Takahari. You lose." He brought the broadsword up for the beheading stroke…

And just before it could land, I plunged the purloined dagger into Draco's stomach, then kicked his legs out from under him.

Knowing that, being a vampire, he would heal within moments, I retrieved both katanas, ran out of the room, and flung myself over the side of the Phantom Ship.

As the cold sea caught me, I faintly heard Karen screaming. "Ian!" And everything went black…

Author's note: A short chapter, but it was primarily a setup for future events. As you no doubt inferred from the dialogue, Ian and the vampire Draco are old enemies. Draco will be a persistent foe for much the story from here on out, as I thought it was time for Ian to have a rival to battle, sword-to-sword. This also provides an explanation for Ian's preference for beheadings and stabs to the heart. Anyway, read it and let me know what you think.


	15. Chapter 15: The Nature of the Bat

I don't own anything except the Takahari family

I awoke with a sense that something was wrong. For one thing, I seemed to be alive, which I found odd, given the circumstances under which I had thrown myself overboard.

I looked around my current surroundings, noting it to be some kind of cave near the water. A voice behind me caused me to look back.

"So you're finally awake," Rose said. Dart was also nearby.

"Dart? Rose? What are you doing here?" The last time I had checked, they were aboard the Phantom Ship.

"We ended up following you in when the ship sank. Just luck that we found you and got you out of the water." I now saw that Dart was less than dry, himself. "By the way, who or what was that guy that was attacking you?"

I held up a hand. "First, there's something I need to know: is he dead?"

Rose shrugged. "He should be. I stabbed him in the throat."

"Blast it! You should have aimed for the heart. That was an old enemy of mine, Draco the vampire. Vampires can only be killed by stabbing them through the heart. Now the old bat will have the chance to kill more people, and worse."

"Why didn't you mention him before?" Dart asked. "And what do you mean, 'worse'?"

I staggered to my feet. "In answer to the first question, because he's supposed to be on a different planet, and I thought I killed him last year in an old castle. In answer to the second, there is indeed a fate worse than death. You see, anyone he attacks, but doesn't kill, will become a vampire. They may not _want_to drink blood and create more vampires, but they'll have no choice. It's a biological imperative for their kind."

"That does sound like a problem. Anything else we should know about them?"

I nodded. "Yeah. They don't age past a certain point. Unless someone kills them, they are immortal. My family, though Karen and Ryan are unaware of it, have fought vampires for centuries. In fact, the name of our ninja clan translates as 'The Vampire Hunters'. We have fought a hidden war with them for four hundred years, and we've killed many. On the other hand, we've lost a few to the vampires, as well, with ninja becoming the very thing they fought."

"Are you up to traveling, Ian? We should get going as soon as possible."

"Yeah. But I'm going alone. I don't think Draco got very far from the Phantom Ship. I think he's near, hunting me, and I must hunt him. It's my duty, and I can't drag you two into it." Dart began to protest. "No, Dart. You should understand, more than any of the others, about private scores to settle. I've fought Draco many times over the years, and I intend to finish this myself." For once, I didn't even wait for a reply. I simply left the cave, never looking back.

It was only hours after I left the two that I came to our original destination, Fueno. I knew it to be the logical destination for Draco, and I needed to inform the others that Dart, Rose, and I were still alive.

I was going around a corner when I heard the noise of metal on wood, the distinctive sound of a sword being drawn. I drew my own, then swung it around the corner ahead of me.

Clang! It rang against another sword, and a knife swept out to hold my blade in place.

I took a closer look. "Ryan?"

The opposing blades dropped away. "Ian!? You're alright!?"

"Will be if you don't run me through. You look like you were expecting someone else." I sheathed my katana.

"What about Dart and Rose? Are they okay?"

"They were a few hours ago. I left them in a cave, near a place called Lideria." We started walking toward a nearby inn.

Ryan was incredulous. "You left them? Why?"

"Personal score to settle, mon ami. Remember the guy I narrowly escaped on that ghost ship?"

"Kinda hard not to. Old friend of yours?"

I laughed. "Hardly a 'friend', Ryan. That was Count Draco von Schneider, formerly of the German nobility. His is also a vampire."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Ian, you know vampires are mythical. Who was he really?"

"I meant what I said, Ryan. Count Draco _is_a vampire. I've fought him quite a few times before. You might recall my trip to the Rhine last year. I ended up in von Schneider's castle, where we battled again. I thought I killed him, but I must have missed his heart. Then there was my tour of Venice the year before. I nearly drowned when the good count overturned my gondola. Believe me. I've 'killed' that vampire a dozen times."

He was starting to come around. "Maybe…"

"Here's another thing you should know. Our ninja clan has hunted vampires for four hundred years. You and Karen weren't told because you weren't ready. Remember, I've been killing people longer than you. In fact, _I_wouldn't know about vampires yet if it weren't for my first encounter with von Schneider, years ago."

By this time we had arrived at the inn. Ryan was shaking his head. "Vampires… And here I thought you were on sight-seeing tours!"

"Nope. I was trying to take care of a persistent thorn in my side. But now you see why I can't stay. In some ways, von Schneider is a more dangerous enemy than Lloyd. If he's not stopped, Endiness will be plagued with home-grown vampires." I turned to leave, but Ryan grabbed my shoulder.

"Wait, Ian. There's no need for you to go off on your own to find Draco."

"What do you mean?" I wasn't liking the sound of this.

"He's after Lloyd, too. Where Lloyd is, we'll probably find your vampire."

I groaned. "Oh, man, I hope we get to Lloyd first. A Wingly vampire just doesn't bear thinking about." Conversation was cut off as we entered the inn.

Karen was the first to notice our arrival. "Ian! You made it!"

"Sure did. Dart and Rose should be along anytime now. But we've got other problems." I turned to the wall, as the others, remarkably including Haschel, grew more serious. "Count Draco von Schneider, once of the German nobility, now a vampire."

"You mean that guy you were running from on the ship?" Albert asked.

"That's the one. Ryan told me he's going after Lloyd, too. And don't give that business about 'enemy of my enemy is my friend'. Draco wouldn't kill Lloyd; he'd turn _him_into a vampire, too. And that, my friends, is about as bad a situation as we could imagine."

Dart, Rose, and Meru chose that moment to appear. "Guys! They're alright!" Meru looked around, noting that we weren't surprised, then spotted me. "Ian! You made it!"

_If I hear that one more time, I'm gonna let Count von Schneider turn me into a vampire,_ I thought. "Yes, I'm alright,. Now can we just get on with things? Dart, you'd better go talk to Shana. She hasn't said a word since the you went overboard, or so Albert tells me. After that, we've got some planning to do."

After Dart and Shana rejoined us, I laid out the problem. "Count Draco von Schneider is an old enemy of mine, one of the few vampires my family has thus far failed to exterminate. He's been a nuisance to me for three years now, and now Draco has apparently found a way to follow me into Endiness."

"Why is he so persistent in trying to kill you?" Shana asked.

"He's not trying to kill me. Von Schneider considers me the best candidate for vampirism he's found in a long time." This was one of the reasons I so despised him.

Rose spoke next. "What exactly _is_a vampire?"

"Oh, sorry. I sometimes forget that my world has things yours doesn't. Well, first, I need to sort fact from fiction, particularly for Ryan and Karen, since they grew up with the myth. According to legend, a vampire is an immortal creature, with an insatiable thirst for blood. Those that they do not kill become vampires themselves. They are supposedly killed by sunlight, fire, water, garlic, stakes through the heart, and, oddly enough, mirrors, at least according to some versions of the story. That's the myth."

"And the fact would be…?" Albert asked.

"All of the above is true with the exceptions of the methods of killing them. They _can_be killed by a stake through the heart, but they are just as comfortable as you or I during the day, or going for a casual swim. Fire, of course, can kill anything I can think of, with the possible exception of you, Dart. Vampires also have no difficulty with mirrors, which is fortunate for them, as some are quite vain. Now, garlic, that actually does have an unpleasant effect on them. They happen to be violently allergic to it, but, unlike in the legend, they can survive it if treated within fifteen minutes." I took a deep breath, having run out during my little lecture.

"So he wants to turn you into one. Makes sense." I could practically see things being written in Albert's brain, as he absorbed the thing he craved the most: knowledge. "And if he gets Lloyd…"

Karen finished for me. "We'll have an almost unstoppable Wingly to deal with. Wonderful."

"Let's sleep on it, okay? It's getting late!" Meru sounded exasperated.

"She's right," Ryan agreed. "Can't be hunting vampires without any sleep."

Author's Note: Yeah, I know, another short chapter, but I figured that, if I kept going with the next major event, this chapter would be too long to be manageable. Next one might be somewhat short too, but the one after that should be better. Please keep the reading and reviewing coming. ~Solid Shark


	16. Chapter 16: The Demise of Lenus and Rego...

I don't own anything except the Takahari family

The morning after Dart, Rose, and I rejoined the others, we headed back to the Undersea Cavern to pursue rumors of a Sea Dragon.

Once inside, we found a whirlpool blocking one of the paths leading to the interior. The noise we heard there was not encouraging: the distinctive roar of a Dragon.

"The rumors were correct," Rose said. "The Blue-Sea Dragon, Regole. You know what we'll find there with it," she added, looking pointedly at Ryan, Karen and I. We had fought Dragons mostly on our own, so we knew how dangerous they were. Worse, it meant that there was a Dragoon nearby, if it was behaving in such a manner.

At the sound of the roar, Meru had slumped, looking scared. "C'mon, Meru." I said. "We've gotta get to Lideria to reach the Prison Island anyway. We can leave you there until we've deep-sixed that thing."

My comments had the intended effect: Meru leapt to her feet, whirled around, and glared at me. "No way! I can handle this thing!"

"If you're sure…" Ryan said for good measure.

"Of course I'm sure! I'm not afraid of some old Dragon!"

Karen spoke more seriously. "You should be, Meru. Believe me, you should be." Unlike Meru, who hadn't been able to get anywhere near the Starburst Dragon, Karen knew from bitter experience how deadly a Dragon could be. She'd nearly been killed acquiring her Dragoon Spirit, and it was only because of Shana's healing magic that any of us were still alive.

It was only two hours later that we arrived in Lideria. We spoke to the mayor, who, despite thinking us insane, opened the cave with the water level controls for us.

I went in first, and stopped dead. The katana on my back, which, since the Phantom Ship, I had enchanted with _kuji_ magic for the detection of vampires, was shining so bright I could see it through the scabbard.

The Masamune was out of its scabbard in an instant, and I quickly glanced around, my gaze falling on a lone bat hanging from the ceiling. "Von Schneider. I might have known. But I must say, mein freund, that you have the _worst_ timing I have encountered in an inhuman being. I'd love to kill you now, but I've other things to do. Now get out of my way."

The count let go of the ceiling, returned to his semi-human form, and smiled. "I don't think so. Remember, you have to aim for the heart. All I have to do is bight you in the throat. And then you'll be one of us. In order to wipe us out, you'll have to kill yourself, as well."

"Just shut up, you old bat! I'm busy, but you're in my way. It'll be my pleasure to cut you down!" This time I watched for the signs of a dagger being drawn, and it was well that I did: he tried the same trick that he'd used on the Phantom Ship, throwing a stiletto at me right am.

This time, however, my sword was already drawn, so I casually swatted the knife out of the air with the blade. "That trick won't work this time, Draco. You'll have to get at me the old fashioned way."

"Very well." Von Schneider drew his broadsword. "Let's see if you can beat me this time."

I shook my head. "You know, von Schneider, I 'd have thought you'd have learned something in your centuries of life: you can't beat a ninja at swordplay." Tossing the Masamune to my left hand, I reached for my other katana with my right and pulled a shuriken off the handguard. To create an opening, I batted his sword aside, then threw the shuriken into his throat. "For the last time, get out of my way!"

Despite the blood flowing freely from his wound, the vampire calmly yanked the shuriken out of his neck, then literally snapped it in half. "Nice try, Takahari, but not good enough. Have you forgotten that that won't stop me?"

I laughed. "Oh, but it will, Draco. I coated that throwing star with garlic. You'd better go find some help, or you'll never leave this cave alive."

For the first time since I had encountered him on the Phantom Ship, von Schneider was actually frightened. He quickly lurched past us, falling with a scream into the water.

I turned back to the others. "He's probably going to live, but the way is clear. Let's get that water taken care of, and go kill a Dragoon."

We returned to the Undersea Cavern a few hours later. With the water level lowered, we were able to get to the Prison Island where the Dragon was supposed to be.

I wasn't worried about Draco showing up this time, given the bad dose of garlic poisoning I'd given him. It would be just us, the Dragoon controlling Regole, and, probably, Lloyd. _At least von Schneider will be away for long enough that he won't have a chance at Lloyd. The last thing we need is a Wingly that can only be killed by garlic and heart wounds._

When we reached the Island itself, I noted without surprise the two figures standing there. _Lloyd and… Lenus. Figures, given that she's water-based._

Lenus was handing Lloyd the Moon Dagger when we interrupted. "Lenus, back off. Lloyd," Dart said, "you're not getting away this time!"

"I'm afraid I have other things to do right now." Lloyd jumped back. "I'm the one who burned your village! I deprived your friend of his life! You hate me, don't you? If you survive, pursue me in Mille Seseau." With that, there was a flash. When it cleared, Lloyd was nowhere to be seen.

When Ryan moved to pursue, Lenus blocked his way and shook her head. "Wait! It was nice of him to offer, but you're gonna have to decline!" She held up an object that I knew all too well. "Because you'll die here!" There was another flash, and then Lenus stood there in the armor of the Blue-Sea Dragoon. Regole was coming up behind her.

"Scatter!" Albert yelled. "Transform!"

Midway through the transformation, Lenus and Regole teamed up to hit us with a wall of water, doing the most damage to Dart, being fire-based, but he recovered quickly. "Explosion!" He chose a spell that drove back most of the water and battered both of our opponents.

"Hmph! Not bad! But I'm still better!" Lenus launched herself at Karen, aiming her twin blades for a head cut, hoping to kill my sister in the same way I had offed numerous people in the past. Karen managed to divert the strike, but was hit in the gut nonetheless. "There! How'd you like that!?"

"I didn't!" Karen lashed out with her foot catching Lenus in the head and knocking her back. "Try this on for size! Supernova!"

"Diamond Storm!" Our spells, hitting simultaneously, slammed Lenus into the ground and nearly pulverized Regole.

"Meteor Strike!" Kongol unexpectedly cast a spell of his own, crushing Regole to death.

Lenus spun around. "Regole!" she screamed. "How _dare_ you! You've killed my Dragon!" She leapt back into the air, aiming for me. Unfortunately for her, my armor was diamond, and her blow glanced off.

Mine didn't. I swung the Masamune while Lenus recovered, and her head bounced from her shoulders, landing in the water near Regole's corpse. One of the last surviving Winglies was dead, and the Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit liberated.

Author's note: I know, another short chapter, but the next should be better. Naturally, that wasn't the last that will be seen of Count Draco von Schneider; he'll continue to be a nuisance for most of the story. Please read and review, and let me know if there's something I should be doing differently. ~Solid Shark


	17. Chapter 17: The Vampire Ninja

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

Watching Lenus' remains sink, I turned at the bright light behind me. The Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit was drifting over to an ecstatic Meru.

"The Dragoons are assembled again," Rose said. "For the first time in eleven thousand years." As was typical of Rose, she didn't bother congratulating Meru. Still, she sounded as close to pleased as I had ever heard her.

_There's something odd about Rose… She knows more about Dragons, Dragoons, Winglies, and the Dragon Campaign than anyone else I've encountered here. What's the connection…?_

Meru had abruptly gone from ecstatic to moody. She was staring at the water where Lenus now resided, a sad look on her face. _What's going on here? Lenus was our enemy, and Meru didn't seem to have a problem fighting her…_ I thought on it for a moment. _Waaaiiit a minute… Lloyd, and Lenus, both Winglies, both had platinum hair… and so does Meru. Could she be…?_ I nodded slowly to myself. _Yeah. Meru must be a Wingly herself. She doesn't mourn _Lenus_ per se, she mourns the loss of another of her own species. The Winglies are dying out, and the death of Lenus is another nail in the coffin…_

* * *

From Fueno, we boarded the _Queen Fury_ for the voyage back to Donau. I wasn't looking forward to our report to the king. Not only had Lloyd gotten away, we were unable to recover the Moon Dagger. And we now knew his next target: the Moon Mirror in Mille Seseau.

Once aboard the ship, I resumed my perch upon the mast, staring moodily at the sea. I was not without a trace of nervous anticipation, recalling what had happened the last time we sailed. But the Phantom Ship had gone down for good, and there appeared to be nothing but clear sailing ahead.

"Ian! Look out!" Ryan's abrupt warning came just in time for me to dodge the human shape plummeting at me. Leaping off the mast, I drew the katana from my back, regretting my decision to leave the Masamune in my cabin, and dropped to the crow's nest, near Rose.

"What the blazes!?" I looked up, trying to see who had nearly hit me. My heart stopped momentarily. _Not again! Why do I keep running into supposedly dead people? He's supposed to be dead!_ "Kenji! What the blazes are you doing here!? You're supposed to be dead, chasing Hideo Matsuo!"

On the mast, where I had been standing moments before, was another member of the Vampire Hunters ninja clan, albeit from another branch, Kenji Okamura. An old friend of mine, Kenji had vanished the year before, while hunting a Japanese vampire. How he had survived, let alone gotten here, was a mystery to me.

Kenji opened his left eye and looked down at me. It was then that I noticed the scar over his right eye, and that his left glowed red. The red of a vampire. "Ian Takahari," Kenji said. "It's been a long time. I'm afraid, though, that we have no time to chat." He closed his eye briefly. "I'm sorry, old friend, but I'm going to have to kill you."

"What!? Why!?" I backed off a step. This wasn't the Kenji I knew. "Kenji, what are you doing!? What have you become!?"

Kenji shook his head. "I said, no time to chat. And I think you should run. Otherwise, I'll have no choice. Believe me, I don't want this any more than you do, but I've become one of them. I can't stop it."

"Sorry, Kenji," I replied quietly. "But I can't do that. I have an obligation to see this out, and if I have to, I will kill you, Kenji. You were a ninja, too. You understand."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I know. One of us won't walk away from this, and I hope it's me. I'm nothing more than a tool, but you have something that needs to be done." Without further comment, Kenji drew a katana from the scabbard on his back, and dropped.

I countered the slash, knocking him off balance, then kicked him in the stomach. I was still looking for a solution that would allow both of us to survive. I was ruthless to my enemies, but even ninja did their best to avoid killing their comrades. And Kenji had been a close friend, the last before arriving in Endiness. I wasn't about to lose him again if I could avoid it.

Recovering his breath, Kenji's free hand moved through a _kuji_ sequence. Instantly, a tornado formed in front of me and sucked me in, tossing me high into the air, catching me, and flinging me into a wall. "Ugh!" My katana, called _Stormbringer_, flew out of my grip, sailing clear over the ship's railing. "No!"

Kenji walked up, a pained expression on his face, and raised his sword, preparatory to severing my head. "I'm sorry, Ian. I wish it had turned out differently. But von Schneider's given me no choice. Goodbye, mon ami."

Time seemed to slow, as my mind worked furiously. _Draco did this!? To one of the only friends I ever had!?_ The blade came down…

But I was no longer there, having sprung out of the way. The mention of von Schneider, my old nemesis, had galvanized me into action. I triggered the spikes on my forearms, then launched a flurry of hand-to-hand attacks that drove Kenji back into the mast. "It's not over yet, Kenji!" I blocked a slice, then snapped my right heel into his left temple.

Kenji dropped like a sack of bricks, then recovered with inhuman speed and swept his legs under mine, knocking me over. "Sorry, Ian, but it looks like it is over. See you in the next life."

I knew that this time Kenji's sword wouldn't miss. I closed my single eye, and waited for the stroke that would cut off my head.

The blow never landed. A glowing sword interposed itself between Kenji's katana and my head. Soul Cleaver. Ryan had arrived just in time. Before Kenji could recover, Ryan yanked something off his belt, which he promptly plunged into Kenji's arm. A hypodermic needle, filled with an unknown substance. Whatever it was, it dropped Kenji to the deck within moments.

Carefully picking up the unconscious ninja's sword, Ryan walked over and helped me to my feet. "You okay, Ian?"

"Yeah. But what took you so long?" I retracted the forearm guards.

"You never change." He looked at Kenji, still asleep on the deck. "I thought you told me he was dead."

"That's what I thought, too. Last year, he just disappeared, while on the trail of the Japanese vampire Hideo Matsuo. That was the last thing I heard of him." I nudged Kenji, without result. "What'd you do to him, anyway? What was in that hypo?"

Ryan grinned. "You're not the only one who knows how to use the Dark Mirror. When you told me about the vampire problem, I started going back during the night, experimenting at a clan-run lab. I eventually came up with this serum. It incapacitates vampires, and, while it can't restore them to full humanity, it does remove the thirst for blood. And in cases like Kenji, it removes the imperative to obey vampires such as von Schneider. He'll be mostly okay by the time he wakes up."

I shook my head. "So _that's_ why you've been looking so tired the last few mornings. When was the last time you slept?"

Ryan considered. "I think the night before you showed up in Fueno. Had to use a lot of caffeine, but I've lasted. Never expected to run into Kenji, though."

"Neither did I. But I suggest you get some sleep, Ryan. I'll take care of Kenji."

He started to shake his head. "No, I can last until-" Ryan never finished his sentence. I had used a _kuji_ deep-sleep technique, having anticipated his reaction.

"Sorry, Ryan, but you really need to sleep. Can't fight when you haven't slept in a week." Leaving the two unconscious ninja where they were, I turned to the ship's railing. "Now I need to retrieve _Stormbringer_, assuming the ship hasn't moved too far away."

I took out the Scroll of the Nine Hands and studied an advanced technique that I'd never had cause to use before, then set it aside. Where I was going, it would be ruined.

Taking a deep breath, I leapt over the side, my shape changing on the way down. By the time I hit the water, I was entirely shark. This particular spell was extremely advanced, and not normally used by a ninja of my young age.

But with the death of my parents, I had become the only Master of the Rage Demon Art of Ninjutsu. I had to learn the remaining moves, and I had to learn them soon. The shape-changing would also allow me to remain underwater long enough to retrieve _Stormbringer_, a katana that I had owned since my initiation as a full ninja, the day I had gone from a mere apprentice to a mature assassin. I remembered the day well…

* * *

I was fourteen the day I became a ninja. It was a full year after my first human kill. It was because of that event that I had been deemed ready for the final test at such a young age. Taking the test with me were my brother Ryan and my friend Kenji Okamura. As with all such tests, we would become ninja if we survived our first true combat. In the Art of Ninjutsu, the strong survive.

The mission was to neutralize a gang of thieves that had begun preying on nearby villages. The bandits had firearms; we were armed solely with our katanas and other traditional weapons such as caltrops, shurikens, and blowguns with poisoned darts. If we eliminated the thieves and survived, we would no longer be mere apprentices.

We arrived in the bandit's hideout before dawn, with Kenji leading us. Silently, he indicated that we should spread out, each taking one section of the cave, killing everyone in the area.

I found the closest entrance quickly, and quietly dropped in on the guard below, relieving him of his head in the process. After wiping the blade of my sword on his clothing, I took a couple of steps to the right, peering around the corner. There was a guard standing not more than two feet away, oblivious to the presence of a ninja and a dead body close by.

As soon as he turned his back, I jumped around the corner, clamped my left hand on his mouth to prevent him from summoning help, and cut his throat with the other.

A sudden exclamation caused me to spin around in surprise. I'd gotten careless: a third guard, gun drawn, had come up on me while I was distracted.

_Idiot! You've lost your touch!_ But I hadn't lost my speed. As he opened his mouth to sound an alarm, my katana swept down, cutting through his wrist and dropping his hand to the floor. As the guard looked stupidly at his stump of an arm, I hit him in the throat with a shuriken, ending the threat rather permanently.

After setting fire to the three corpses, I continued through the cave, killing a handful of bandits along the way. Eventually, I reached my objective: the sleeping area of the hideout. Pulling out a crude gas grenade I'd taken from a body, I tossed it into the room, silently killing every thief that had the misfortune to be asleep during our raid.

The raid was swift, silent, and deadly. When it was over, every thief was dead, and my old katana was shattered. Upon returning home, Kenji, Ryan, and I became full ninja, and I was presented with the sword _Stormbringer_, a powerful weapon used by several generations of Vampire Hunter ninja. By the time I arrived in Endiness three years later, I had killed over two dozen people with it. I wasn't going to let it simply sink…

* * *

It didn't take long to find the katana, and I was back aboard the _Queen Fury_ within minutes. There I found that Ryan had woken up sooner than expected, and was talking to Dart and Karen.

"Ian! Where were you?" Karen asked. "And didn't you tell me Kenji was dead?"

"Hey, slow down. Anyway, I was retrieving my sword. Kenji had knocked it overboard. And as for Kenji himself, I thought he was dead, too. But he's not. He's become one of them." I took out a cloth and began drying _Stormbringer_ as I spoke. "It's only because of Ryan's timely arrival that I'm still alive. Draco von Schneider, while apparently not the vampire that infected Kenji, did order him to kill me. I guess Draco's given up on turning me and has decided to simply eliminate me."

"So this guy's a friend of yours?" Dart asked.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Old friend."

"When should he wake up?"

Ryan shrugged. "Don't really know. That's the first time I've been able to test the serum, but I think Kenji should be awake by morning. I suggest we restrain him until then, because I don't know if this stuff will actually work. It's still experimental."

"C'mon, guys!" Karen said. "Kenji won't wake up till morning, so shouldn't we all just get some sleep!?"

I shook my head. _Always exuberant. Not as bad as Meru, but… Well, I guess she's got a point. If Kenji's not going to wake up for a while, there's no point in our losing sleep over it._

* * *

The next morning, Kenji regained consciousness. We'd tied him to a bed in what passed for an infirmary on the ship, but it appeared that Ryan's serum had done the job.

"Sorry about that, Ian," he said. "von Schneider got to me shortly after Matsuo infected me."

"Don't worry about it, Kenji," Ryan said. "I've had a similar problem here, and Ian let _me_ live. And I nearly killed _everyone when_ Doel got a hold of me. Compared to that, what you did was nothing. Besides," he added with a grin, "did you really expect to be able to kill Ian?"

"Actually, Ryan, I nearly did. If you hadn't shown up, Ian would be without a head. And then you would have killed me. What did you do to me, anyway?"

Ryan held up the empty hypo. "Call it an antibiotic for vampires. You'll note that you no longer thirst for blood, and a few other changes. You're still a vampire, I'm afraid, but without the negative effects of it."

"Better than nothing, I guess. Where are we going?"

"We're almost to Donau," Albert replied. "From there, we return to Fletz to report to King Zior. Unfortunately, we failed in our mission, but one of our enemies is no longer a factor."

Kenji glanced at me. " 'No longer a factor'? Did Ian have something to do with that?"

I grinned. "You might say that. Lenus ended up without a head."

"You always did like the beheading method. I'm glad to hear your skills have continued to improve." His expression turned solemn. "I gather from some of your moves last night that you've become the Master of your Art. Are your parents…?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Just before I got here, the dojo was attacked by assassins. Ryan, Karen, and I got out, but they didn't."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to bring up a painful topic."

I laughed humorlessly. "Kenji, have you forgotten? A ninja knows no pain. We can't afford to feel."

* * *

It took us only days after that to return to Fletz. Much to my surprise, the king didn't seem very disappointed that we'd failed to retrieve the Moon Dagger. He was simply glad to see that we'd made it back safely.

Zior arranged a banquet that night in our honor, but Karen, Ryan, Kenji, and I opted to make a brief appearance, then retreat to the area between the towers to talk. We had some catching up to do, and the next morning we would be leaving again, this time for Mille Seseau, to follow Lloyd…

Author's note: Sorry that this update took so long. I've had a bad case of writer's block. As for how short the events after returning to Fletz were, it occurred to me that they wouldn't have much bearing on the ninja. They remain in the shadows as much as possible, and recognition can cause problems in their line of work.

Please read & review. I can always use input.


	18. Chapter 18: The Black Monster Revealed

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

Author's note: First of all, to answer Sword Master Jeff's question, no, Kenji is not going to have a Dragoon Spirit. First, because a Dragoon Spirit probably wouldn't accept a vampire. Also, the Dragoons were supposed to be a small group. At this rate, I'd have an entire army of them if I kept it up. Besides which, Kenji wouldn't need it. He still has most of the abilities of a vampire.

"Hey, Ian!" Ryan called. "We're about to hit Furni. Better get ready."

"Thanks. I'll be right there." I swung my legs off the bunk and stood, surveying the cabin.

A few days after we reported to King Zior, we had left for Donau and boarded the _Queen Fury_ once more, this time headed for Furni, the seaside town that was the entrance to Mille Seseau, Lloyd's next destination. We had to safeguard the Moon Mirror, the artifact which was almost certainly his next target.

Crossing to the room's meager closet, I removed my gear and began pulling it on. With the main equipment on, I turned to a carefully stored bundle. After my last few battles, I had recognized the necessity of armor, so King Zior had ordered a set to be crafted to my specifications, using an alloy unique to Endiness. The result was a set of light and flexible, yet strong, armor that was uniquely suited to a ninja.

Quickly donning the armor, I buckled the breast and back plates at my waist, then pulled on an equipment belt, complete with pouches for shurikens and caltrops, a blowgun with poisoned darts, and a holster containing one of my autopistols. Finally, I tied the Masamune's scabbard to the belt. That done, I headed for the deck.

* * *

Shortly after arriving on what passed for dry land in Furni, we encountered a group of warriors discussing some sort of rescue attempt. It appeared that a boy from the village, by the name of Teo, had disappeared into the nearby forest with a tame wolf called Kamuy, which had apparently gone berserk. Kamuy had once been the boy's companion, but now it had attacked a young girl and taken Teo away.

"You guys talk to the mayor," I said to Dart. "I'd like to check things here. I'll meet back later."

"Okay. I'd tell you to be careful, but I guess that goes without saying for you, doesn't it?" Dart replied with a grin.

"You could say that. Now get going. Kenji and I can handle ourselves."

Rose hung back. "I think I'll just see what you two are up to." She sounded vaguely amused.

I grinned. "Not much. It's just that some of these guys need to be put in their place." I walked up the loudest talker, who was also the biggest of the bunch, about twice my size.

He looked down at me. "What do you want, tiny? Just don't get in my way. That money's mine! I'm-"

"I don't care who you are, Big Mouth," Kenji interrupted him, casually hoisting the big warrior into the air with one hand. "You talk too much, and the only reason you want to save the kid is for the money." He swung his free hand into the warrior's jaw, sending him flying and knocking him unconscious. "Oh, that felt good. He's just lucky I wasn't thirsty."

I knew he wasn't referring to water. "You seem to be recovering quickly."

Kenji nodded. "Yeah. Ryan's little miracle serum worked wonders. But now he's out, let's catch up with the others. I'll bet Dart wants to help out with the search."

* * *

When Kenji and I rejoined the others at the mayor's house, Dart filled us in. "We're going to the forest in the morning to help rescue Teo. Until then, the mayor has offered to let us stay here for the night."

"Nice of him. But I don't think I'll be sleeping much. It's been a while since I've had sufficient quiet time for proper meditation. If I'm needed, I'll be on the roof." Without further comment, I headed up the stairs.

Several hours later, after dark, I was still sitting on the roof, oblivious to my surroundings. The Masamune was out of its scabbard, lying in front me, gleaming in the moonlight.

I looked up abruptly at the sound of footsteps. It was Rose. "Sorry to disturb you."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. It was about time for me to rouse myself anyway. What brings you up here?"

"Solitude. Sometimes a group like this can be tiring."

"In that case, I'll head back-"

Rose shook her head. "No need. Sometimes even I need someone to talk to. And an assassin is more likely to understand things." She looked at the Masamune. "May I?"

"Go ahead." I carefully picked it up and handed it to her. "I named it _Migi-no-te_, Japanese for 'right hand'. It seemed appropriate."

"Well-crafted. I haven't seen anything like it here in two thousand years."

At first it didn't register. It seemed preposterous. When it did, I reflexively slipped into Japanese. "Kichigai!"

Rose looked puzzled. "What?"

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Sorry. Japanese for 'you're crazy!'. You mean to tell me you're two thousand years old?"

"Eleven thousand, actually."

_Something weird is going on here. Eleven thousand? Nobody lives that long! And if she has, why hasn't she told anyone…? Something in her long past that one of our group would have a problem with?_ Aloud, I asked, "Why haven't you said so before, Rose?"

Her gaze became distant. "You remember the prophecy of the Moon Child?"

"You mean, 'Count 108 years, and when the Moon That Never Sets glows red, a Moon Child will descend to fill the world with holy bliss', except that it's the Black Monster that shows up instead?" I'd thought it pure nonsense, but perhaps there was a grain of truth to it.

Rose nodded. "Except the prophecy is wrong. There is no 'holy bliss', and the Black Monster is the only reason this world still exists."

I looked up sharply. "What?"

"The Moon Child is in reality the Soul of the God of Destruction, the 108th species. Instead of 'holy bliss', it comes to destroy the world. The only solution is to kill the Moon Child before it can unite with its body. For eleven thousand years, there have been no exceptions."

_How would she know, unless… Could Rose be…?_ "_You're_ the Black Monster!?"

"Yes. Now you see why I didn't mention my age." Rose looked as if she expected me to draw my sword.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. You destroyed Neet, Dart's home." She started to speak, but I continued. "Don't worry. _I'm_ not going to judge you. I've killed for reasons that are a lot worse. But why tell me?"

"Because Lloyd's conspiracy seems linked to it, and someone needs to know that isn't likely to kill me over it."

Something else occurred to me. "Then you were one of the original Dragoons, that fought in the Dragon Campaign?"

"Yes. The others were Zieg, Shirley, Kanzas, Syuveil, Belzac, and Damia." She seemed glad of the change of subject.

"Shirley… She was the one Dart and the others mentioned at the Shrine?"

"Yes, she was. I suppose the Shrine is abandoned now. With Shirley's spirit gone, Drake will have left. The place will be left to the monsters." There was a certain sadness in her tone.

I thought for a moment. "Actually, I had a thought about that. When all this is over, Ryan, Karen, Kenji, and I intend to start training people of this world as ninja. The Shrine sound like an ideal location for a dojo. Isolated, difficult terrain, all the makings of a good training ground."

Rose nodded slowly. "I think Shirley would approve. She was the most peaceful of the group, but we were all fighters. It would only be fitting for more warriors to be trained there." She handed me _Migi-no-te. _"If you'll excuse me, it's time I got some sleep. See you in the morning."

"Right."

Author's note: There! Another chapter complete. Hope it was a good one. Please keep reviewing.


	19. Chapter 19: The Return of von Schneider

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

The next morning it was time to head into the forest to find the missing boy. I was ready before any of the others, having spent the night meditating rather than sleeping. Naturally, I made no mention of conversation with Rose, even to my siblings. A ninja respected confidences.

As I headed out, I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned. It was Ryan, a concerned look on his face. "What is, Ryan?" I snapped. My mind was on other matters and I had no particular desire to speak to anyone right, even my twin.

"Are you alright, Ian? You never turned in last night. What were you doing?"

"Meditating," I said shortly, and brushed past him. I had too much to think about right then. My meditation had been less than restful, which was probably what had concerned Ryan. The implications of Rose's revelations had greatly disturbed me. The possibility of the entire planet being blown out from under me had both made me grateful that I had the Dark Mirror, which would allow myself and my fellow ninja to escape, and unwilling to use it.

I had obligations here now, both as a Dragoon and as a friend and comrade of Dragoons. Earth no longer held anything for me, and I wasn't about to let my new home die.

* * *

It was deep in the forest that we found Teo and Kamuy. They had first run away from us, but we finally cornered the wolf in a small clearing. At first, Teo himself tried to stop us from fighting Kamuy, claiming that it was a different wolf that had gone berserk. Despite his efforts, however, Kamuy abruptly jumped at me, jaws going for my throat. I barely managed to jump out of the way, sweeping out _Migi-no-te_ midair.

"Ninja! Atakku!" I lapsed into Japanese again as I shouted to my fellow ninja to attack.

"Shimeto!" Kenji acknowledged in the same language.

"Hai!" This from Karen, leaping to a tree and transforming into the Starburst Dragoon.

"I'm on it!" Ryan leapt straight up, dodging Kamuy and transforming into the Time Dragoon.

As soon as his transformation was complete, things began to get strange. Objects appeared and disappeared randomly, as if time itself was being warped. Which was exactly the case. Ryan was using his abilities to an extant that I had never before seen. Soon things stop appearing and even the ground itself disappeared. The black of space surrounded us, and gravity ceased to effect us.

"Ryan!" I shouted. "What did you just do!?" Incredibly, there was still air to breathe, after all else had vanished. "Where are we!?"

Ryan was far calmer. "You mean, 'where _and_ _when_'," he replied. "And the answer is nowhere, nowhen. This is between time, a pocket in the universe where time has no meaning. There is only us, Kamuy, and the air. And Kamuy will be weak here. He doesn't know how to function without gravity. Think of this as a space of breathable water, and you'll know how to fight here."

"We have no time to discuss it now," Rose interrupted. "The wolf will soon have his bearings. We must finish this quickly."

"Right. Final Burst!" Dart was the first to attack, torching the berserk wolf with his fire magic.

I finally had the opening to use my own Dragoon Spirit and began to move more naturally in the weightless environment, confident that my armor would protect me from anything Kamuy could throw at me. That done, I turned to see how our resident vampire was doing.

I needn't have worried. Kenji was fighting as if he'd been born in zero-g, "swimming" through the air and slashing when the opportunity presented itself.

I spent a moment too long checking on the others. Kamuy finally regained its bearings and swatted at me. While it couldn't penetrate my armor, it did send me flying to the edge of the space… and beyond it. I found myself in vacuum, unable to breathe or do anything else but hold my breath and panic.

Just when I thought that I was either going to freeze to death or suffocate, I was yanked back into the pocket. Albert had risked freezing long enough to pull me back.

"Thanks, Albert," I wheezed, still trying to return my breathing to normal. "Now how about we teach this wolf not to mess with Dragoons?"

"Why don't we?" Briefly letting go of his spear, he catapulted me back into the fight, directly at Kamuy. I spread my wings and soared at the creature, both swords drawn.

Snarling, I stabbed Kamuy with both weapons, then sheathed one and flew back slightly. "You asked for it!_ Shun Goku Satsu!_" The ultimate attack of the Rage Demon Art knocked the fierce wolf unconscious, and Ryan, noting it, returned us to the normal world.

* * *

After the battle, it was merely a matter of cleaning things up. Shana's magic returned Kamuy to normal, and he was allowed to return to Furni with Teo.

With that mess cleaned up, we headed through the forest to Deningrad, the capital of Mille Seseau, with the Crystal Palace. We needed to safeguard the Moon Mirror, since Lloyd had all but said outright that that was his target.

Near the edge of the forest, Rose abruptly stopped. "You guys go on without me. I… have an errand to take care of."

Meru nodded. "Me, too. I want to visit home."

"We'll meet you in Deningrad, then," Dart agreed. "Anyone else have things to take care of? I think we got here ahead of Lloyd, so we should have some time to prepare."

"As a matter of fact, Dart," I said, "there is somewhere I need to go. When we've dealt with Lloyd's conspiracy, I intend to begin training ninja here, and I think the perfect place would be the Shrine, back in Serdio. I need to make sure that the Shrine is left alone until then, and get rid of the monster population. I'll probably be gone for a few days."

"We're going, too," Karen said, indicating herself and Ryan. As usual, she didn't bother to consult Ryan on the matter.

Dart shook his head. "Okay, okay. Three of our ninja are going. What about you, Kenji?"

"Not me, actually. After all, you need at least _one_ ninja to keep you guys out of trouble while they're off relaxing." Kenji mock-glared at us.

"We'll see you all in Deningrad then. Be careful."

* * *

We flew most of the way back to Serdio, resting in Fueno for a night before moving on to Fletz in Tiberoa. From there, it didn't take long to reach the former Shrine of Shirley.

"So this is more you two met up again," Karen mused as we landed just inside. "Nice place, at least once it's fixed up and the monsters are killed off. But how do you propose we keep out the next batch?"

"With this," I said, taking out the Scroll of the Nine Hands. "I'm going to create a magical barrier at the entrances and overhead. Ryan," I said, turning to him, "I'm going to need your Dragoon magic."

"What for?"

"So that it doesn't take people forever just to get here, I need you to essentially compress space in certain areas, creating 'warp points' that link the Shrine to places like Bale and Fletz. Can you do that?"

Ryan thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so. You're basically asking me to create wormholes. Might take a little while, but-"

"Unfortunately, you won't have the time to do it."

I whirled at the voice. "Von Schneider! You gaichou! When will you cease trying make my life miserable!?"

The count laughed. "When you are either one of us, or dead." He glanced at Ryan and Karen. "I see you have brought help. But it won't help." Von Schneider snapped his fingers.

Our katanas were out quickly. Pouring in over the walls were a large number of lesser vampires. Lesser, but still capable of turning others into vampires.

"Ian," Ryan gulped, "does this mean what I think it means?"

I nodded slowly. "'Fraid so. Von Schneider has spread his plague to Endiness. The scourge of the vampires has returned, and we're right in the middle of it." As we stood, back-to-back, I pulled my helmet out of my pack and put it on. "Just keep them away from your necks." A thought struck, as the menace moved in on us, and I sheathed my sword. "Forget the swords. Pistols first!"

Putting words into action, I drew my guns, tossed one to Karen, and opened up, aiming only for the heart. I brought down seven of them before the slide locked back on an empty magazine, then hurled the now-useless weapon into another's face. Then the battle was joined.

_Migi-no-te_ was in my hand in an instant, cutting a vampire in half in the process. He was down, as the blade had gone through his heart. The melee that followed was fast, furious, and almost impossible to keep track of.

I caught a flash of Ryan, spinning through the mass of enemies with an improvised quarterstaff, sending them flying out of his path. Karen was throwing garlic-coated shurikens, knowing they couldn't get help in time to avoid their rather painful demises.

That gave me an idea, and I cleared a circle around myself long enough to pull a container full of garlic from my pack. Moving quickly, I pulled the top off and upended over my sword. With it garlic-coated, I no longer had to take the time to aim for the head.

Nevertheless, after a half hour of fighting, it was clear that we were losing. Three ninja could not hope to prevail against a hundred vampires. I could see Draco laughing, off to the side, and knew we were doomed.

And then the last thing I could have expected occurred.

"Demon's Gate!" The highly unexpected, very deadly darkness-based attack sucked in the vampires, leaving only a very surprised von Schneider, who quickly fled.

As he did, Rose calmly descended to the ground. "I thought he might show up here."

"Rose!? What are you doing here!?" I sheathed my sword, almost collapsing in relief.

She sheathed her own blade, expression grim. "He attacked Deningrad shortly after I rejoined the group, turning several people into vampires. We managed to drive him off, but as he left he spoke of getting revenge on you, and that he knew where you were. Dart sent me to head him, and to tell you that you need to return. Things have gotten worse."

I didn't like the sound of that. "Worse? How worse?"

"The Divine Dragon, the King of Dragons, has awakened and escaped from its imprisonment. It attacked Deningrad just before von Schneider did. The Dragoons are all needed in Mille Seseau. Now."

Author's note: Finally, another chapter finished. I thought it was time for the count to make another appearance. Anyway, please continue to read and review.


	20. Chapter 20: The Search for the Dragon Bl...

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

The flight back to Mille Seseau took less time than when we were leaving there. Given the urgency of the situation, we paused only when absolutely necessary.

Even so, it took us a couple of days to return, and events had moved more rapidly than expected by the time we arrived. And not all the news was good.

We landed just inside Deningrad, and were met by a grim-faced Dart. "I'm glad you're back. Things have gotten even worse." He took a deep breath. "Shana won't be traveling with us anymore."

Ryan and I glanced at each other. "What!?"

"The White-Silver Dragoon Spirit has transferred itself to the First Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau, Miranda."

Rose inhaled sharply. "That's unheard of. A Dragoon Spirit changing masters while its previous master is still alive?"

Dart nodded. "Shana feels that she can no longer travel with us." He brightened slightly. "But it's not all bad news," he said, as Meru approached. "Meru thinks she knows where a weapon to combat the Divine Dragon is. Something called the Dragon Block Staff, made by Winglies and hidden in the Forest of the Winglies, a remaining colony of them."

I smiled. _I bet you do know where it is, Meru. Which one of your ancestors created it, I wonder?_ I glanced at Meru. "I bet she does know about it, Dart, seeing as she's a Wingly herself."

Dart's jaw dropped. "She's _what!?"_

Meru, too, was astonished. "How'd you know that!?"

"Not even trying to deny it, eh? Good. As for how I knew it, think about it. Lloyd has platinum hair, and can fly, and Lenus had platinum hair, and could fly. What other conclusion could I make? Don't worry; I don't think anyone here has any lingering prejudice against Winglies. Is fear of that the reason you didn't tell us?"

"Something like that." Meru had begun to recover from the surprise, as was Dart. "But right now, we've got another Dragon to stop, right?"

_Yeah. Another one. The sixth. I just hope that it really is the last of the Dragons. Every time we fight one, somebody gets hurt._ I touched the patch where my left eye used to be. _But we're the Dragoons. We have no choice._

* * *

The path to the Forest of the Winglies took us back into the forest where we had fought Kamuy, but this time all we had to fight were the usual assortment of monsters found in such places all over Endiness.

The path ended abruptly, with apparently nothing beyond, but I could sense that there was more to the area than met the eye. I glanced at Meru. "A magical barrier?"

"Yeah. The only problem is, I was kinda thrown out the last time I came home. They don't like it when others leave the Forest." She sounded slightly nervous.

"I wouldn't worry. This time, we're all here. And as for the magical barrier…" I performed a _kuji_ technique, took a deep breath, and walked right through the barrier, with only as much resistance as if passing through water.

"A human!? Here!?" I turned at the startled voice, and barely managed to jump out of the way of a Wingly-cast fireball.

"Relax! I'm not here to fight. But if you keep trying to kill me, I might reconsider trying to stop the Divine Dragon!" For emphasis, I drew _Migi-no-te_ and swung it into a guard position.

The mention of the Divine Dragon seemed to stymie them for a moment, and the others finally came through behind me at the same time.

After a few minutes of confusion and threats, word finally came from "the Ancestor", apparently their leader, that our particular group of humans was welcome, and that he wished to see us.

"They always this hostile to outsiders?" I asked Meru quietly.

"I don't know. We haven't had outsiders here in a long time. But they're not very kind to Winglies who leave the forest."

"That why you were kicked out?"

Meru nodded. "Yeah. They said that since I left the forest, I couldn't come back." Her voice turned angry. "But we can't just hide in this forest forever! We'll die out if we do. And humans don't hate us so much anymore! Now, we hate them, when we're the ones who did the enslaving!"

* * *

Ryan and hung back while the others spoke with the Ancestor. He'd said there was something he wanted to talk to me about.

"All right, Ryan, what's up? Some odd fact or something that only you have noticed?"

He grinned. "Yeah, something like that. I guess you were too busy to notice, but our birthday was two weeks ago."

I stopped short at that. Ryan was right. I'd been busy enough since arriving in Endiness that the date had slipped my mind entirely. "I guess you're right. Not that it really changes anything. We've been fighting for years; age doesn't matter."

"Ian, Ryan," Dart called. "Let's go. The Ancestor has agreed to transport us to the Forbidden Land, where the Dragon Block Staff is kept."

Once we reached the roof of the Ancestor's home, he used some type of magic to teleport us to our destination. After we arrived, I hung back with Rose while the others moved ahead.

"This place looks like a ruined city. What happened here?" The place seemed eerily silent.

"This was once the flying Wingly city Kadessa. The final battle of the Dragon Campaign was fought here." Rose paused. "The other Dragoons died here." She gazed into the distance as she remembered. "Kanzas destroyed himself, killing a Super Virage in the process; Damia, killed by a large group of Winglies; Syuveil, cut in half while trying to save her. Belzac was impaled by a Virage while keeping a pillar from falling on Shirley; she was crushed after destroying Belzac's killer. And Zieg… Zieg was turned to stone after mortally wounding Melbu Frahma, the Wingly leader." Rose fell silent again. "Their sacrifices freed Humans from Wingly domination."

"But your mission is still far from complete?"

She nodded. "Yes. Unless The Moon That Never Sets is somehow destroyed, the cycle will continue. Every 108 years, I will have to find and kill the Moon Child, and everyone who witnesses its passage. I don't enjoy it, but if I don't do it, the world will be destroyed."

* * *

As we searched for the Dragon Block Staff, we came across something that filled me with dread: a Super Virage. It appeared to be dead, but I knew from bitter experience that Virages could survive for a very long time.

"That's the Virage that killed Kanzas," Rose muttered. "I thought it was vaporized."

"Careful, everybody," Dart said. "Remember how hard these things are to kill."

The newest addition to our party, Miranda, snorted. "What are you worrying about? It's been dead for thousands of years."

Ryan laughed harshly. "Don't bet on it. These things have a nasty habit of coming back to life when Dragoons are near. And in case you haven't noticed, we've ten Dragoons and one vampire here. I'd say it's a good bet that this thing is about to wake up."

Immediately after he finished speaking, the Super Virage began moving. "Ryan," Karen groaned. "I hate it when you say things like that. Don't you know not to tempt fate?"

"Forget to tempting fate," Albert yelled, "first we've got to kill this thing!" He used his Dragoon Spirit, becoming the Jade Dragoon, and cast Rose Storm, his protective spell.

"Right." I held up the Diamond Dragoon Spirit, transformed, and drew _Migi-no-te_. "I've had enough of fighting Virages! Diamond Storm!"

"Supernova!"

"Final Burst!"

Flying slightly out of the battle to get a better look, I spotted the Super Virage preparing for a nasty blast of magic against a Dragoon. "Rose, look out!" Realizing that there wasn't time for her to get out of the way, I folded my wings and dove back into the battle, knocking Rose out of the way…

Just in time to catch the full blast of magic myself. _I _so_ hate Virages,_ I thought, just before the injuries I sustained knocked me unconscious…

Author's note: Kind of short, but I hope it was interesting. As for Sword Master Jeff's question, all I can say is wait and see. Please keep reading and reviewing.


	21. Chapter 21: The Face of the Enemy

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura.

I awoke in a coughing fit, feeling like I'd just been hit by a planet. The last thing I remembered was taking a blast of magic from a Super Virage, after knocking Rose out of the way.

Groggily, I got to my feet, noting that I was still in Kadessa. That meant that the others hadn't yet found the Dragon Block Staff; either that, or they'd waited for me to wake up. Just one problem… "That spell should've killed me…"

"It did."

I spun around at the voice. Ryan and Miranda were standing there. "What? Mind telling what's going on and where everyone else went, Ryan?"

"I said you died, Ian. Your noble sacrifice put you right in the path of death, and the only reason you're standing here is because we have a White-Silver Dragoon with a resurrection spell with us. You were definitely dead, and- where do you think you're going?"

I'd starting walking away. "To catch up with the others, what's it look like?"

Ryan shook his head. "You're not going anywhere, Ian. Dart said we were to keep you here until you recovered."

"And I'm recovered. So get out of my way."

"Ian, you were _dead_. You can't just get up and walk away after that-"

"I just did," I said flatly. "Now, are you going to get out of my way, or am I going to have to _force_ my way through?"

My tone had suggested deadly consequences, but Ryan still refused to get out of the way. "Look, Ian, you may not know it, but dying is serious business! You're gonna stay here until Dart tells us you can travel."

My voice went from cold to frozen. "And now Dart is deciding when and where I can go? Tell me, Ryan, did all of the others agree with this? Because it seems to me that it's _my_ judgment that matters where my health is concerned."

He looked away briefly. "Not quite," he muttered. "Rose apparently thought that this wasn't a good idea. But I know you better than she does, and I know you're not fit to travel!"

"Ryan, I don't particularly _care_ how well you think you know me. You should just remember that Rose has a lot more experience judging injuries. Now get out of my way, or I _will_ do whatever I have to do to get past you!"

"I'm not moving, Ian."

"Oh, yes, you are," I said softly. I swept through the sequence for a _kuji_ technique, and Ryan was slammed against the wall, hard enough to leave a dent. "I didn't want to have to do that, but you left no choice."

I walked past him, ignoring an incredulous Miranda, and headed off to find the others. _Didn't know I could do that,_ I thought, glancing back at Ryan briefly, _but Ryan didn't give me much choice. I just didn't expect that I could do something like that to my own brother._ I snorted. _Maybe Rose is starting to rub off on me._ It didn't matter anyway; it was probably an improvement. I had to be ready fight my siblings if it came down to it; a bit of Rose's attitude was just what I needed.

* * *

I found the others near what appeared to be a gladiatorial arena. Given the reputations of the ruling Winglies, I didn't want to know what had fought there.

I leapt from my high perch and landed directly in front of Dart, crouched and with a drawn katana. "All right, Dart, what was that all about!?"

"Ian!? What are you doing here!?" Dart's voice was a mix of concern and anger. "I told Ryan not to let you up and around until we were sure you were recovered-"

"That's right, you did. And Ryan tried to obey. Problem was, I happened to disagree. Ryan is now lying unconscious from being slammed into a wall." My voice was cold enough to freeze air. "What the blazes gave you the idea that _you_ could decide when I could leave!? Granted, you're the leader of this band of misfits, but I remind you that I'm not a child, and that despite my age I've more combat experience than most of you combined! I will not allow myself to be treated like an underage invalid!"

"I told you he'd wake up like this," Rose murmured. "Ian's not the type to take that kindly."

Dart threw her a dirty look, then turned back and glared at me. "Ian, you can't just get up and walk away like nothing happened when you were actually _dead_. You should still be resting-"

If looks could kill, Dart would have been dead in an instant. "Dart. _Shut up_. I'm a ninja, and ninja do not take time to rest when there is a job to be done. More importantly, I'm a Dragoon. I've got the same obligations you do. And if you're gonna try to keep me out of this, then I have no choice."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm leaving," I said flatly. "If this group is going to try to treat me like an infant, I'm just going to have to fight my battles on my own. I'll see you after you've gotten your heads straightened out."

While the others stared in shock, Rose was strangely silent, and I took the opportunity to leave before they recovered enough to argue.

* * *

_I can't believe the lot of them! Just because I got killed and had to be resurrected, they think that I should be 'resting' while they find the Dragon Block Staff! Fine, then. I'll just find the Staff myself!_

Finding the Dragon Block Staff was not as easy as I had anticipated. The others actually got to it before I did, but ended up in a fierce battle against an earth-based foe called the Grand Jewel, in which the Staff was embedded.

_They seem to be losing. Well, this appears to be a good time to prove that I'm completely recovered._ I took a deep breath, drew Arashi-Jisan, and leapt into the fray, screaming a battle cry. "For the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi!" I flickered from sight briefly as I reached the Grand Jewel, and then reappeared on the other side, hitting the ground hard as the Jewel fell in two pieces behind me.

As Miranda retrieved the Dragon Block Staff, I sheathed Arashi-Jisan and turned to Dart, a challenging look on my face. "Is that 'recovered' enough for you, Dart?"

"Uh… yeah… Sorry about that." Dart was still somewhat surprised by my abrupt entrance.

"Apology accepted. Just remember that if you ever try to do that again, you might not survive the experience."

Rose, as usual, was unperturbed. "What does 'Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi' mean?"

"Vampire Hunters. The name of my ninja clan. Now, only four of us are left. According to Kenji, the Sandorans did more than just kill my family. They went after all the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi, and the four of us are the only survivors. Ryan, Karen, and I because the Sandorans weren't quite good enough, and Kenji because he wasn't anywhere near. It's fortunate that we effectively wiped out vampires in our world, because we were the only ones that knew they existed. The only Earth vampire to survive is von Schneider, and I will kill him sooner or later."

As we headed out of the Forbidden Land, Rose and I continued to converse, one warrior to another. "Do all of your people name your weapons?"

I nodded. "As I was taught, 'Every good sword has a good name. Take care of your sword and it will take care of you.' Hence, I have Arashi-Jisan, which translates roughly as Stormbringer, and Migi-no-te, or 'Right Hand'. Ryan's original sword was Giri-ken, 'Honor Blade', Karen's is Buke-Kontan, 'Warrior Soul', and Kenji's is In'intaru Doragon, 'Roaring Dragon'. It's largely a matter of personal interests that determine a sword's name. As far as I know, the custom has been with the clan for as long as the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi have existed, and certainly longer outside it."

"An interesting tradition." Rose appeared to think for a moment. "Why were the ninja created? Most such orders form against a specific enemy."

"They were." This was a subject that had long interested me, so I was quite pleased to explain. "The ninja began their existence about 800 years ago, when Japan was ruled by the Shogunate, whose rule was upheld by the Samurai, warriors with a rather flexible honor code. The Samurai were feared throughout the country, because they could cut off the head of any peasant who refused to bow down before them. Some peasants, however, refused to serve the Samurai, and fled to Japan's high mountains, where they became the ninja. Within a hundred years or so, the ninja became so feared that even a Samurai looked over his shoulder when a ninja had been reported in the area." I thought back for a moment, pondering the information Ryan had uncovered. "From what Ryan's been able to discover, it was about three hundred years after that that our bloodline appeared there. Within a few generations, intermarrying with the native Japanese had removed all traces of a separate origin from our appearance, and given us the name Takahari."

"When did your family begin hunting vampires?"

"That would have been about a century after that. The first vampires arrived from the mainland, and many people were attacked and turned. Then the vampire Hideo Matsuo, who was only recently killed, made the mistake of attacking a ninja of the Hitoshirezu Buke, or 'Hidden Warriors' clan, as we were then known. Matsuo's actions made the hunting of the vampires personal for us, and we became the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi. Unfortunately, by modern times the hunt had become more myth than fact to most, and only the Okamura and Takahari families continued the battle." I sighed. "Now, they're all gone. The Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi have been wiped out, and only four of us live to continue the hunt."

Rose nodded. "And your old enemy has spread to Endiness. With none to oppose them."

"There will be. There will be."

* * *

Anything else I might have said was cut off by a roar, high above us. I looked up, already certain what it was. There, high above, was a creature that flew with seven wings, and saw with seven eyes. The Divine Dragon.

"It's heading for Deningrad!" I heard Miranda scream. "We have to stop it!"

"I'd love too," Ryan replied, "but unless you've got a jet fighter around somewhere, we can't anywhere near in time. And even if we could, there's the little problem of breathing at high altitude. As it is, all we can do is follow it and hope it doesn't do too much damage."

"Let's hurry, then," Dart said. "I think it's going to do more a little damage to the city. Let's go."

"You're not going anywhere."

I froze at the voice, then slowly turned. _Not again! When is he going to get the message that tangling with Dragoons is a bad idea!?_ As I had known it would, the voice belonged to Count Draco von Schneider, my oldest and most dangerous enemy. But this time, he wasn't alone. There was a robed figure with him, face invisible within the cowl. My blood ran cold. Something about the stranger felt familiar, even though I couldn't see his face. "Everyone continue on to Deningrad. I'll handle von Schneider."

"I'll stay," Rose said unexpectedly. "There is something very wrong here, and I recall your recent problems with him."

"All right. Dart, you guys get going. Now!" Turning back to face the vampire, I drew Arashi-Jisan and held it in a guard position. "Okay, Count, who's your friend there?"

Von Schneider smiled. "Someone who will give you a good deal of trouble, more even than I. I believe you know him, in fact." He gestured, and the hooded figure tossed aside his robe.

Time seemed to slow as I stared into the other's eyes. He was dressed in black, with a katana slung over his shoulder. I paid no attention to that, however. I simply stared at the face. I knew the face. It was mine.

The voice was mine as well. "Well, Count, it appears we've managed to stun him. Shall I?"

"Yes." Draco nodded. "Kill them."

The ninja with my face was in motion almost instantly, katana out and swinging for my head, apparently counting on my shock to get me killed.

But they failed to take Rose's presence into account. Her rapier appeared between me and the katana, thus allowing my head to remain on my shoulders.

Rose was then knocked off her feet by the count, who had a look of fury on his face. "Wait for your turn!"

He wasn't permitted to say anything else. A round from my now-drawn pistol hit him in the shoulder, spinning him away. "It's me you want, vermin." Turning back to my double, I holstered the gun and held my sword in both hands. "Who are you!?"

"I'm you. You as you should have been, a vampire. The count here cloned you, and I am the result." He smiled. "And you might recognize this." He held up his blade.

_Doragon-Audauchi! That gaichou found the dojo and raided my sword collection! And now he's gone ahead and _cloned _me!?_ Getting my emotions under control, I took several deep breaths. "You're a clone of me? Your batty master _cloned_ me? Well, I'm afraid I can't let you live, particularly since you're trying to kill me." I held up my Dragoon Spirit, transforming quickly. "There can be only one Ian Takahari, and you won't be it!"

Author's note: Finally, a longer chapter! In case you're wondering about how von Schneider could have created a clone, that will be explained in the next chapter.

To answer knightblazer85, they can't simply use the Dragoon Spirit to kill the count because he's a vampire, which can only be killed using specific methods.

As always, please read and review.


	22. Chapter 22: The King of Dragons

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

I hovered several feet above the ground, slowly flapping my wings and staring down at my clone. Both he and von Schneider looked startled, looking up at my Dragoon-armored form. "That's right, Draco, you didn't know that I am also a Dragoon." I held Arashi-Jisan before me and glared down at the vampire and the clone. "I am the Dragoon of the Diamond Dragon, and your weapons cannot harm me."

"You can still be beheaded, though," the clone said. "You can die in the same way as the dozens you've killed." He smiled. "A nice irony, that. Killed in your favorite method, with one of your own swords. Doragon-Adauchi will be the end of you, Ian. As you said, there can be only one of us. Now come on! Or are you too scared that you'll lose to yourself?"

"I will never die." I folded my wings and plummeted, katana thrusting at my enemy. My blade was glowing, the result of a _kuji_ spell that set it afire.

The clone parried almost casually, swatting my sword aside and countering. As his blow glanced off my armor, he spoke. "You'll never die? Think you're immortal, do you? That's rather arrogant of you, isn't it, kakushigo?"

My face went white with fury. "If anyone's the kakushigo here, it's you! You don't even _have_ parents! You're just a _clone_ of one of the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi's honorable warriors! You have no right to exist! Diamond Storm!"

I'd never seen anyone other than myself move as fast as he did, deflecting diamonds with Doragon-Adauchi. _Of course, he _is_ me, so I guess it fits. But he'll pay for calling me that!_

He laughed. "And as for the diamond armor…" The clone performed a _kuji_ technique, and his sword gleamed with magic fire. "How well will it stand up to a magic blade?"

_Oh. No. Rose warned me about that. Against a sword that's made of magic or enhanced by it, my armor is no better than that of your average knight._ My fear held me in place a moment too long. The magically empowered blade sank through my armor, into my stomach, leaving my looking numbly down at the wound. _Is this it? Killed by a clone von Schneider created of me?_

"Ugh… no…" I weakly tried to yank the sword out, and then the clone pulled it out himself.

He laughed again. "So the copy has defeated the original. Oh, the irony. Well, look on the bright side. At least there will still be an Ian Takahari around. It just won't be you." He contemptuously wiped his blade clean on my armor, then sheathed it. "I guess you were wrong about never dying. Goodbye."

With the blade no longer supporting me, I began to fall back, awareness already fading. _No… von Schneider's beaten me… this can't be…_

Then there was a tugging on my belt, where one of my pistols was holstered. Moments later, a pair of shots rang out in quick succession, one hitting the clone in the left leg, the other in his right arm. Rose had recovered just in time.

"Astral Drain!" Her rapier buried itself in the clone's chest, drew out his energy, and lanced out to heal my wound. "He was right. There can be only one of you, and the world is better off with the real Ian Takahari." Rose swept her sword out in an arc, neatly slicing through the clone's neck, decapitating him. The falling body glowed briefly, then faded, leaving only an odd artifact behind.

Von Schneider glared at Rose, then sneered at me. "Maybe you're right about never dying, Takahari, but when next we meet, only one of us will walk away, even if I have to lock you in a dungeon to be rid of you!" The vampire promptly turned bat and fled, leaving the battlefield behind.

Returning to human form, Rose helped me to my feet. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah… just barely. Thanks." I staggered over to the artifact left behind by my clone's demise. "What is this thing, anyway?"

Rose examined it. "Wingly artifact. As you saw, it creates a copy of a person, using a sample of the original's blood."

"Well, von Schneider's gotten plenty of blood out of me over the years, so I guess it's no surprise."

"Perhaps… but I thought this was destroyed in the Dragon Campaign. It appears more of the Winglies' magical items survived than was thought. That's not good." She picked it up. "What do you think we should do with it?"

"Throw it into a black hole, for all I care. I've never approved of human cloning." I reached down and retrieved the clone's sword. "Doragon-Adauchi. Dragon's Vengeance. I never thought I'd come across it again. An ancient sword, said to have been forged of metal from a Dragon's hoard." I thought for a moment, then held it out. "Here. I can't carry three swords, and I would prefer someone still have it. An appropriate weapon for a Dragoon."

Rose took it, and drew it from its black scabbard. "Interesting," she murmured. "A well-made sword, whether made from Dragon's steel or not." She examined the fire-breathing Dragon design that was engraved into the blade. "Whoever created it was a master of his art. Thank you." Rose sheathed the katana and slung it over her shoulder. "What did he call you, anyway? I gather it was uncomplimentary."

"You could say that. 'Kakushigo' roughly translates as bastard. That's not the sort of thing anyone likes to be called." Glancing at the sky, I recalled what we had been in Kadessa for in the first place. "We'd better get going. The others will be all the way back to the Forest by now."

Rose put a hand on my arm. "One more thing. If something happens to me on this journey, will you replace me as the Black Monster?"

"Why me?"

"Because I can trust you to do what is necessary. I don't think any of the others could bring themselves to do it, and you're the only one who knows the truth."

"There's still the problem that I probably won't live even to see the next appearance of the Moon Child."

Rose held up her choker. "Should it come to that, use this. The magic that has kept me alive for eleven thousand years is within this."

My decision was a forgone conclusion. "Of course. Someone has to do it, and I suppose I really am the best choice if it comes to it. If you don't make it, I promise your work won't have been in vain."

* * *

When we returned to the Forest of the Winglies, the Ancestor informed us that the others had already gone to Deningrad, and might well already be on the way to the Mountain of Mortal Dragon, where the Divine Dragon resided.

We found them in the forest just outside Deningrad, after leaving the Winglies' forest. Dart was the first to spot us. "Rose! Ian! You're alright!"

"Yeah, Dart, we're okay. Barely." I was still limping slightly, and my stomach was sore.

"What happened back there?" Ryan asked.

"The vampire created a clone of Ian, armed with one of his own swords," Rose replied. "Ian was nearly killed."

"And von Schneider?" Albert inquired.

"Still alive, unfortunately." I leaned against a tree. "After the clone stabbed me, Rose killed him, and Draco fled. If Rose hadn't been there, I'd be dead. As it is, the clone lost his head, and we destroyed the Wingly artifact that created him. I can't believe that koumori actually _cloned_ me. And it's even worse than that."

"Worse how?" Karen asked.

"He's obviously found the dojo, Karen. The sword that nearly killed me is Doragon-Adauchi. You might remember that that was one of mine."

Ryan glanced at the sword hilt now visible over Rose's right shoulder, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face. But he said nothing, so I ignored him. "How badly did the Divine Dragon damage Deningrad?"

"The Crystal Palace is about half its original height now," Dart said. "Everything above the throne room is gone."

"And Shana?"

"She's fine. Though the reason for that is something I still don't understand." Dart shook his head. "When we entered the throne room, it was hard to see, it was so bright. Shana was floating midair in front of the queen. When the light faded, she had no memory of it."

_There's something odd about Shana. Humans aren't supposed to be able to use magic, except for _kuji_, and nothing she's done can be explained by that. Most peculiar._

"Is everything ready for our journey to the Mountain?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. We were just waiting for you two to return."

"Then let's get going. I should be fully recovered by the time we encounter that thing."

"And if you're not?" Haschel asked.

"Then I'll just have to do the best I can."

* * *

The Mountain of Mortal Dragon. The last place in Endiness where the creatures of the Dragon kind still resided. At the peak, the Divine Dragon perched. Our aim was to kill it, the last true Dragon in the world. It wouldn't be easy, particularly since the Dragon Block Staff would preclude the use of Dragoon Spirits.

The trip up was nothing to write home about. Just your typical mountain, with a few dozen monsters thrown in. Along the way, I began instructing Rose in the use of her new weapon, and its history. I had been taught that to fully master a weapon, you had to have full knowledge of it; design, history, and manufacture.

This included studying the Scroll of the Nine Hands; the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi had long been in the habit of using _kuji_ to imbue swords with special abilities, such as elemental strengths, danger warnings, and healing powers. As it happened, I had used Doragon-Adauchi for a complex experiment years before. I had given it strength in fire, darkness, and wind, and given it healing properties. It was a formidable weapon, but I had never used it in battle. For a ninja, I was rather sentimental, so Arashi-Jisan had been my primary weapon for years.

Near the top of the Mountain, we heard the clash of swords. Someone was already fighting the Dragon. When we reached the summit, we discovered the last thing I would have expected: Lloyd was fighting the Divine Dragon.

He had just taken a hit from the Dragon when we arrived, and turned back to look at us. "I thought so. You're a little late. It was a tough fight, but I've almost got it."

"Tojikomeru, temae kakushigo!" I unleashed a torrent of Japanese at him, despite the fact that he couldn't understand a word of it. "You released it, and then found that you couldn't control it, right?"

Lloyd shook his head. "I can't stop you from thinking that."

"Forget Lloyd for now," Dart said. "We've got bigger problems. Let's take it!" He tossed the Dragon Block Staff into the air, where it hung. Immediately, I felt my Dragoon Spirit weakening. This battle would have to be fought with our physical strength alone.

I drew Arashi-Jisan from its scabbard, then leapt into the air, aiming for the Divine Cannon on its back. When I hit, I flipped back out of range of the Dragon's counterattack, then struck it with a _kuji_ fire spell.

Rose had both swords out, rapier in her right hand, Doragon-Adauchi in her left. Her standard attacks were slightly modified by the use of two swords, but the results were devastating.

"Ugh!" Ryan's sound of pain got my attention quickly, and I ran over, tossed him a Healing potion, then hacked the Dragon limb that had hit him.

"Ryuu ki Doragon!" Karen and Kenji double-teamed the Divine Cannon, while Dart and Albert attacked the Divine Ball section.

Once the Divine Cannon and Divine Ball had been destroyed, we concentrated on the Divine Dragon's main body. Along with Ryan, Karen, and Kenji, I began a massive _kuji_ spell. The resulting explosion inflicted massive pain on the Dragon, giving Dart the opportunity to deliver a death blow.

But it wasn't Dart that finally killed it. Lloyd jumped into the fray, and sank the Dragon Buster into the Divine Dragon's seventh, magical eye.

"Lloyd!" There was a glow, and when it faded, Lloyd was holding a gleaming stone. "Is that!?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yes. The Dragoon Spirit of the Divine Dragon."

Author's note: Finally, I actually got the story this far. The encounter with the Divine Dragon was originally going to be two chapters ago, but I digressed several times to deepen the story. To answer Sword Master Jeff, this will have an Ian/Rose romance. It may take a little while, but it will be there. As usual, please read and review.


	23. Chapter 23: Diaz Unmasked

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

I stalked forward, katana pointed at Lloyd's face. "Lloyd. What are you doing here?"

"Dealing with the Divine Dragon," he replied. He shifted his gaze to Albert. "And what of you? Are you here for the Moon Gem, or because of your loyal friend Lavitz?"

"Don't you even mention that name!" Dart snarled, face twisting with fury. "Lavitz was my friend!"

Lloyd turned back to me. "And why are you here? Vengeance, for the deaths of your family? Or perhaps… something else?"

I glared at him. "I fight with my comrades. And, for all my other reasons to despise you, I don't think you had anything to do with the Sandoran attack, except perhaps for giving them the Dark Mirror." I looked at the object he held. "And why did you want that? Why would you go to that much trouble to get it?"

"As I expected, it doesn't shine in my hand. It is only a trophy."

_Will that kakushigo _ever_ give a straight answer? Not that it matters. He's within reach of my sword at last. By Arashi-Jisan, Lloyd will die. In Lavitz's memory._ I reached for my Dragoon Spirit, transformed, and sprang into the air. "This is it, Lloyd! You and me!" Holding my sword at my right side, I flew towards him…

And slammed face-first into the crater wall.

"Ian!" I heard Ryan yell.

"Watakushi gozen shimeta. I just hit my head." I slowly climbed to my feet. "Forgot the kakushigo was a Wingly."

"Uh, Ian, maybe you should speak English? I mean, you, Karen, Kenji, and I are the only ones who understand Japanese. For all everybody else knows, you might have just said you'd broken your neck."

I looked up, surprised. _Oops. Must be getting used to this. I only talk like that around people I've known for a while, and even then only if they're friends._ Aloud, I said, "Sorry. What I said was that I'm all right. And I called Lloyd a bastard."

Albert looked intrigued. "Perhaps, when we have the time, you can teach me the language. It sounds fascinating."

"Why am I not surprised? Sure, Albert. Probably a good idea. At least then you'll know what I'm saying." I retrieved my katana from where it had fallen and returned it to its scabbard.

"C'mon," Dart said. "If we hurry, we can still catch Lloyd."

* * *

We caught up with him farther down the Mountain. Unfortunately, he was ready for us. A blast of magic sent Dart and Rose flying off a cliff, to a ledge below.

"Dart! Rose!" I ran to the edge. "Watakushi yuki dzuki satsu ki kakushigo!"

"Ian, wait!" Ryan grabbed my arm. "Meru's the only one who can reach them! What're you gonna do, grow wings?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm gonna do. I'm a Dragoon, too, remember?" I snarled.

"I thought Rose said you couldn't do it outside of a combat situation."

"While I have the utmost respect for Rose's knowledge and experience, she's wrong this time." I withdrew my Dragoon Spirit, and was immediately covered by the familiar diamond as I transformed. "Now get out of my way!"

Ryan wisely got away, no doubt remembering what I'd done to him the _last_ time he'd barred my path. After he moved, I rose a few feet in the air, then folded my wings and dove.

Down at the ledge, I found Dart awake, Rose unconscious. "Dart. How is she?"

"Ian? I don't know. I think the fall just knocked her out. She was hallucinating when she briefly woke up."

I frowned. "Hallucinating? How so?"

Dart shook his head. "It was weird. She called me 'Zieg' and said something about the Moon Child."

I froze. _Zieg? I think Rose said something about the resemblance, but it might be more than that. And she's very lucky she didn't say more. She came very close to telling the sole survivor of a village she burned that she was the Black Monster. I don't think Dart would react well to that. Would he kill her, or just tear himself apart from the conflicting emotions? If he did try it, I'd have to stop him somehow._

Dart glanced at me, looking concerned. "Ian? You okay?"

I shook myself. "Yeah. 'Zieg', huh? Can't say I've heard the name." _Actually, I have, but you'd either think me crazy or try to kill Rose. Can't have that._

Meru drifted down on her wings of light. "Dart! You're alright!"

"Meru. Glad you're here," I said. "Looks we're going to have to carry them up. You take Dart; I've got Rose."

* * *

Rose awoke on the way back up. "Ian? What's going on?"

"Lloyd blasted you and Dart off the cliff. Meru and I had to go down after you." I lowered my voice. "You nearly told Dart who the Black Monster was. And you called him Zieg."

Rose sighed. "Not a good sign. He looks too much like Zieg. Did he seem curious?"

"No. What little curiosity he had, I think I deflected." I raised my voice again. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." She fell silent for a moment. "Thanks for coming after me."

"No problem." I set Rose down, then returned to human form. _Why _did_ I go rushing after them like that? I'm not normally that impulsive._ I recalled Ryan's silent reaction when he saw Rose carrying Doragon-Adauchi. _And why do I get the feeling that Ryan understands more about this than I do?_

A hand on my shoulder interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see Ryan standing there. "What is it, Ryan?" I snapped.

He was blunt. "What's with you, Ian? You've been kinda… short with everybody since that night in Furni. Except with Rose. What's going on with you?"

I was getting tired of Ryan's probing questions. "Tojikomeru, Ryan! Omoi goshujin jika kanchi!" I walked angrily away. _What's with _me!?_ Why doesn't he worry about what's with _him!_ Usually, he doesn't get me angry enough to tell him to shut up!_

* * *

We made camp near the foot of the Mountain that night. I was well away from the rest of the group, still angry and frustrated. Ryan had again tried to question me. That time, I had lost patience and knocked him head over heels with a simple _kuji_ technique. I was tired of his prying, and simply wanted to be left alone for a while.

Finally, I drew my sword, assumed a battle stance, and began a long and complicated kata, to soothe my nerves and relax. As I swept into the well-remembered motions of the Hinote Doragon, "Blazing Dragon", and the Shado-Dansu, "Shadow-Dance", attacks, I became lost in them, the tension and stress draining away.

I went from that to another kata, going through the motions of a sword battle, but without an opponent. I blocked and parried invisible blows, delivering devastating attacks when I had "openings". I must have been at it for an hour before a voice interrupted my rather active meditations.

"Don't you ever sleep?"

I looked up. "Hello, Rose. Yes, I do sleep, but I had to work off some frustration. What are you doing up?" Judging from the moon's position, it was well into the night.

"Thought you might need a sparring partner." Rose was carrying Doragon-Adauchi, but not her rapier.

"Wouldn't be a bad idea. Even kata can only do so much." I took off my helmet, then unbuckled the torso armor. In a sparring match, the armor would get in the way.

I raised Arashi-Jisan in a salute, then turned sideways, half-bent my legs, and held my sword above my head, blade pointed toward Rose. "Let's go."

She nodded, then took the initiative, aiming a slash at my chest. I swept my left foot around, pivoting myself out of the way, then jumped at avoid her leg strike. Rose in turn blocked my first strike, reminding me that she had eleven thousand more years of experience than I did.

We clashed swords, and a blast of flame hit my blade. Doragon-Adauchi was infused with certain elemental abilities, a fact that I'd forgotten, but Rose apparently hadn't.

It appeared that we were nearly equally matched with the katana, and our match lasted well into the night. The sun had begun to rise by the time we finished.

* * *

In the morning, we quickly got back on the trail, leaving the mountain and entering the forest. Not far in, we encountered a group of Mille Seseau knights.

"What's going on?" Miranda demanded.

"Sacred Sister, Queen Theresa has been kidnapped." The knight sounded almost frantic. I didn't blame him; Miranda was dangerous when angry.

"What!? By whom?"

"A man with platinum hair-"

"Lloyd," Dart said grimly. "Say no more; we'll take care of it."

I turned to Miranda. "Miranda, there's no more time for evasiveness. Where is the Moon Mirror?"

She sighed. "I guess you're right. It's in the Tower of Flanvel, within Kashua Glacier. You think Lloyd has taken her there?"

"Yes, I do. He already has the Moon Gem and Moon Dagger, so it's bound to be his next target. Lloyd probably kidnapped your queen in order to get it. That piece of slime will do anything to further his goal, whatever it is." I looked over at Rose. "Do you know anything about Flanvel?"

She frowned, thinking. "It was the personal fortress of the magician Faust, one of Melbu Frahma's top people. It was once airborne as well, but it was shot down by the Humans' arrow shooter."

_Wingly. That's just wonderful. I just hope that Faust isn't still there._

* * *

From the forest, we went briefly to Deningrad for supplies, then moved on to Kashua Glacier. It turned out to be even colder than Alaska, and we moved quickly. The less time we spent in the cold, the fitter we'd be for the fight with Lloyd.

Near the entrance to Flanvel, we met a creature that apparently did not want to be disturbed. It attacked.

"Not again! Why is it everything we come across wants to have us for lunch!?" I complained, drawing Migi-no-te.

"Does it matter?" Kenji asked. "Let's just kill it!"

"Yes, let's!" I transformed, donning the black, nearly impenetrable diamond armor of my Dragoon form. "I've had enough!" Drawing on my Dragoon Spirit, I summoned the Diamond Dragon. It was only the second time I'd done it, but I was irritated.

After the Dragon had gone, Dart rose into the air. "Final Burst!"

"Star Children!"

"Thunder God attack!"

"Super Nova!" Karen's blast of void magic pulverized the Windigo, leaving the path into the Tower of Flanvel clear.

It didn't take long to reach the top of the tower. There we found Lloyd and the queen. Lloyd had just taken the Moon Mirror.

"Lloyd! It ends here!" Dart rushed forward.

I grabbed him. "Dart, wait! He's got the Dragon Buster, remember? We have to be a bit more careful than that. Remember Lavitz," I added in a quieter tone.

"What are you waiting for?" Lloyd asked mockingly. "The ghost of Lavitz?"

I took a deep breath. _Never lose your temper. You'll become careless, and then it's over. And that's exactly what Lloyd is counting on. Too bad for him that I trained under the greatest sword masters of our time._

Now calmed, I drew Arashi-Jisan. "I'm not waiting for anything, kakushigo. Nothing except the opportunity to remove your head from your shoulders."

Lloyd laughed. "Yes, you did behead a number of Sandorans while I was manipulating Doel. Tell me, did you ever stop to wonder if they _deserved_ to lose their heads to an upstart ninja? Did you think about whether you or they were in the right? No, you just killed them all, proving that you are the monster in need of extermination. You are the Black Monster of your world, a demon just waiting to kill any who cross who cross your path."

_That… that… Mind games. He's _trying_ to make me doubt myself. The gaichou is more devious than I thought. I know he's wrong… though being called the Black Monster was actually a compliment, even if he doesn't seem to know it._

Rose snorted. "Is that the best you can do? Trying to make someone like Ian doubt himself? You're wasting your time; he's faced down Virages without flinching, and he knows that the majority of those soldiers deserved what they got. Those that didn't were ordered there by Emperor Doel; Ian was only doing what he had to do. And if he were such a monster, he'd have killed us by now, too. So if you can't do better than that, just shut up."

My mind cleared as she spoke. Rose was right. And now it was time to put a stop to Lloyd's conspiracy. "Rose is right, Lloyd. You're gonna have to fight. Now, tell me: I know Winglies are fast, but you supersonic?"

This actually confused him. "Supersonic?"

I smiled. "That's right, you've never heard of the sound barrier. Well, let me give you an example!" I swiftly drew a Desert Eagle, and fired three quick shots.

It turned out Lloyd couldn't _dodge_ bullets, but his Wingly armor could block it. "Any other bright ideas, Takahari? I didn't even feel that."

"Yeah, I've got a bright idea. Take this! Shado-Dansu!" I allowed my reflexes to take over after beginning the attack.

"Demon's Dance!"

"Blazing Dynamo!"

"Flower Storm!"

One by one, my comrades attack Lloyd with their own signature moves. Rose with her rapier, Dart with his broadsword, Albert with his spear, Meru with her hammer, Haschel with his fists, Kongol with his axe, Miranda with her bow. And, of course, three other katanas.

Lloyd managed to dodge a number of these attacks, and caught me in the shoulder with the Dragon Buster once.

"Ugh!" I staggered, dropping my sword. _Why is this deranged Wingly singling _me_ out? On the other hand, perhaps Winglies don't like being called a kakushigo anymore than I do. Not that I care._ Clutching my shoulder with one hand, I reached for a belt pouch with the other, grabbed a Healing Potion, and drank it.

Not having time to retrieve Arashi-Jisan, I drew Migi-no-te and returned to the fight. By now, it appeared Lloyd was weakening, allowing us to get in more hits.

Finally, it appeared to be over. Dart charged Lloyd, and Lloyd flew over the strike, landing hard behind Dart. His wings faded, and Dart raised his sword, rushed at him, and began to bring his sword down…

And he hit someone else. The Third Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau, Wink, had gotten between Dart's sword and Lloyd, taking the blow on herself. "Please… forgive Lloyd."

* * *

Following Lloyd's defeat, we left Dart with Lloyd and headed down from the Moon Mirror chamber. We trusted Dart to do the right thing.

When he came down, Lloyd, Wink, and the queen were with him. "We have to go to Vellweb," Dart said. "And bring the Divine Moon objects with us. Lloyd's Emperor Diaz has taken Shana, and wants the Moon objects in return for her release."

"Ikaga aete anohito!?" The sheer audacity surprised me.

"Ian… you're doing it again." Ryan's voice sounded resigned.

"What? Oh. How dare he!?"

Dart shook his head in frustration. "I don't know, but we should hurry. I don't trust this 'Emperor'. Queen Theresa has agreed to let us take the Moon Mirror, so we can leave now."

I looked pointedly at Lloyd. "We're taking _him_ with us?"

Dart nodded. "Yeah."

_I'm not even going to bother asking why. Dart has his own peculiar reasoning, and a simple assassin like me isn't going to understand. But that, on the other hand…_

Lloyd was still carrying the Dragon Buster. "Don't you think we should at least disarm him?"

"No. We're sure to encounter monsters along the way, and I don't think he's going to attack us."

I shrugged. "You're the boss, Boss. I'm just a humble killer."

Dart glanced around. "I guess we're ready. Let's go."

* * *

After leaving Kashua Glacier, we entered the Snowfields, farther to the west. Not far in, we had to shelter from a blizzard in a nearby cave.

Once inside, Lloyd told us of his meeting with "Diaz". Diaz had told him of the prophecy of the Moon Child, and explained how it could fulfilled: Lloyd needed only the three Divine Moon objects to break the signets preventing the "last god's" birth.

That had been two years before we ended the Serdian War. Since then, Lloyd had been trying to achieve his utopia, believing that the "regeneration of the world" was worth any sacrifice, no matter how many lives it might be.

At the end of the tale, Rose shook her head. "That's not true. There's no 'holy blessing'."

Lloyd looked at her. "Then why does the Black Monster kill the Moon Child? He fears it. He knows that the Moon Child's coming will mean his end."

Rose made no reply. Of course, any reply she might have made would have been dangerous.

I simply shook my head. Lloyd's story had explained things somewhat. _You poor kakushigo. This fake Emperor Diaz has tricked you. You honestly don't know what will happen if you succeed. Maybe you're not quite the piece of slime I thought you were. You're just an idealist who was taken advantage of by some vermin._

The blizzard was clearly going to last all night, so I leaned against the wall, put a bandanna over my eyes, and went to sleep.

* * *

We moved on the next morning, leaving the Snowfields and heading even more to the west, to the ruin of Vellweb.

It was an impressive sight that greeted us when we entered. Seven towers, towering over everything else in the old city, looking remarkably intact for a place abandoned eleven thousand years previously.

I walked near Rose, behind the others. "What were those towers?"

"The towers…" she mused quietly. "That was the Tower of the Seven Dragoons, where we lived during the Dragon Campaign. Each tower was the private domain of a Dragoon. No one entered without the permission of the Dragoons. Not even Emperor Diaz. It was, in a way, a symbol of our status as the leading warriors of Diaz's army. We had many privileges as such. And, of course, most of the responsibility," she chuckled.

_Rose? Laughing? That's… unusual. Unheard of, even. But then, for the first time in eleven thousand years she finally has people around her that she can trust. Maybe she's just starting to loosen up a bit._

Rose shook herself. "In any case, it's probably just a ruin now, like the rest of Vellweb. Nothing more than an ancient curiosity. For now, we have other things to do."

"We do at that…"

* * *

It was the base of the Tower of the Seven Dragoons that the next bizarre thing happened. There were a couple of bright flashes, and then a woman appeared, hovering the air in front of us.

From the reactions of Dart and Rose, this was Shirley, the spirit they had received the White-Silver Dragoon Spirit from in the Shrine, and the White-Silver Dragoon during the Dragon Campaign.

Rose inhaled sharply. "Shirley? I thought you had left by now."

The apparition shook her head. "Not yet. There was something else I had to take care of first." Shirley waved at the Tower. "The souls of the Dragoons who died in the Dragon Campaign are still here. There souls are being drawn to the dark gates of the Death City."

At this, Rose actually gasped. "Mayfil!? But I thought it was destroyed!"

"I don't know how, but the city is functioning again. I was able to anchor their souls here and make them inert, but that is all I can do. Please, after you have spoken to Diaz, come back and give their souls rest." Shirley faded then, leaving this world behind forever. I have never seen her since, at any rate. It was then left to us to carry out Shirley's last wish.

But first we had to confront Diaz. With this in mind, we entered the ruins at the foot of Tower of the Seven Dragoons, where once had lived seven warriors, and now held four spirits.

* * *

We found Diaz deep within, in a large throne room. He was dressed in red, carrying a red staff and wearing a mask. Shana was suspended in the air between us.

Lloyd stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I have brought the Divine Moon objects. There is nothing to stand in the way of our utopia now. Release the girl."

Diaz nodded. "As you wish." Shana floated down to Dart, who caught her. I smiled slightly; it was obvious Dart no longer thought of her as a "baby sister".

Diaz gazed at us. "Now we can release the final god, and begin the regeneration of the world."

Rose drew her rapier and pointed it at him. "If you're really Diaz, then you know what means."

Diaz nodded again. "Total destruction."

Lloyd went white with shock and anger. "What!?" he screamed. "My utopia lies in the future of this world, not its destruction! You used me!" His wings appeared, and a ball of fire began to take shape in his hands. "I won't let you do this!"

"I don't need you anymore." With a gesture, a magical aura began to surround Lloyd.

Taking a deep breath, I walked slowly forward, placing myself between Lloyd and Diaz. "I can't let you do that, Diaz. You don't need him, but we do. If you want him, you'll have to get through me first."

"No matter. You don't know what you're dealing with."

_"You_ don't know what you're dealing with, kakushigo." I squared my shoulders, standing tall and proud. "I am Ian Takahari, last of the honorable Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi clan of the ninja! I am the Dragoon of the Diamond Dragon! I fear no one. If you want to try me, go ahead." I smiled coldly. "But I guarantee that you will not enjoy the experience."

"Fine. You get to live a little longer. You're not worth my time."

"Who are you!?" Dart demanded.

"I don't need to hide any longer." Diaz reached for his mask. "It's been a while," he said, pulling off the mask. "Rose… Dart."

Dart and Rose drew back in shock. "Father!?" Dart gasped.

"Oh, it cannot be!" Rose looked as if she'd just seen a ghost. "Zieg!"

_Zieg!? Rose's fiancé, who was turned to stone in the Dragon Campaign by Melbu Frahma!? What's going on here!?_

Rose stared at him. "But you died! In the Dragon Campaign, with Melbu Frahma!"

Zieg smiled. "Time, almost eternal, dissolved Melbu Frahma's spell. The time with Rose was long past, and I settled in Neet, raising my son, Dart. Until the day the Black Monster came."

"Zieg, what are you doing!? You would never have done this back then!"

"I merely want the god's plan to be realized, by letting the 108 species, the Virage Embryo, be born. Humans are merely the 106th species in the plan, Winglies the 107th. I desire the 108th evolution."

Dart looked confused. "You Dad and Rose are both heroes of the Dragon Campaign!?"

Zieg glanced at him. "Yes. But there's more. Stupid humans destroyed the Crystal Sphere containing the Soul of the God of Destruction when they destroyed Kadessa. Now, every one hundred and eight years, the Moon Child possesses a body and attempts to return to the Moon That Never Sets, which, in reality, is the flesh of the God of Destruction. But one Dragoon found out. She became the Black Monster, and destroyed the Moon Child every time, along with everyone who witnessed its passage." He laughed. "Your loyal comrade, Rose, is the Black Monster!"

Dart stared at Rose, shock and betrayal on his face. "Tell me it's not true!"

Rose looked away. "The Moon Child has to be killed, and everyone around it, otherwise they become servants of the God of Destruction."

"Neet… too!?"

"For eleven thousand years, there have been no exceptions."

Dart looked like he was going to tear apart, as I had feared he would when he learned the truth. "Why did it have to be you!?"

While Dart struggled with himself, Zieg abruptly looked at me, noting the lack of surprise. "You knew, didn't you?"

I nodded. "I did. And I believe that Rose has done the right thing. Without her, Endiness would be long gone."

"Spoken like an assassin. But I'm afraid I have other things to do." Zieg gestured, and Shana floated back over to him.

"What are going to do with Shana!?" Dart demanded.

Zieg instead looked to Rose. "You made a mistake eighteen years ago, Rose. You thought Princess Louvia, whom you killed, was the Moon Child. You were wrong. Louvia had a twin sister."

Rose stared. "No!"

"Your friend Shana is the Moon Child! What are you going to do? Can you kill her!?"

Rose drew her rapier again. "I'll kill her!" She leapt, but something knocked her back, her blade never coming close.

My eyes flamed as I grew enraged. _Like I promised Rose, I must do this. I'm the only one who can._ With the speed only a ninja or a Wingly can possess, I drew Arashi-Jisan and jumped, aiming to decapitate Shana. _Dart, I'm sorry. But this has to be done._

But I, too, failed. The same force repelled me, and hit the ground hard. Zieg was laughing. "Nice try. But now I must leave!"

He disappeared, taking Shana with him.

Author's note: At last! The chapter is finished. This is the longest one yet. Hope it makes up for the shorter ones I've been posting lately.

It occurs to me that I should translate the bits of Japanese I've used. 'Watakushi yuki dzuki satsu ki kakushigo' roughly translates as: I'm going to kill that bastard. 'Tojikomeru' is shut up; 'Omoi goshujin jika kanchi' means mind your own business; everything else, I believe I translated within the chapter.

As usual, please read and review.


	24. Chapter 24: The Spring Breath Town, Ular...

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

After Zieg vanished with Shana, I picked myself up off the floor where I had landed. "Ouch. That wasn't fun." I glared at the spot where Zieg had been standing. "Zieg, itsu tsugi warera mi-to, temae mune saikoro. I've had enough of your plot." I glanced at Ryan. "I mean it, too. When next I encounter him, Zieg will die."

Dart was still shaking with rage and shock. He turned his glare on me. "You knew Rose was the Black Monster, Ian!? You _knew,_ and never told anyone!?"

I gazed back at him levelly. "I knew, Dart. And, no, I didn't tell anyone. A ninja of the honorable Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi clan does not betray confidences. And besides-" My voice went cold. "I believe Rose was doing the right thing."

Now that he'd found a target for his rage, Dart looked intent on taking it out on me. "How _dare_ you!? The Black Monster destroyed my home! I had a right to know!"

"And just what would you have done with that knowledge? Killed Rose?" I drew Arashi-Jisan and stepped between Dart and Rose. "If you have that in mind, I suggest you forget it now. You'll have to go through me first." My voice became a cold, deadly whisper. _"I have killed men for worse reasons than that, without even looking back."_

Abruptly, Dart slumped. "Sorry, Ian. You're right. Right now, we just have to follow my father."

Rose spoke, for the first time since Zieg had disappeared. "We need to go to the Wingly city of Ulara, in the Death Frontier. There, we should get the information we need."

Lloyd turned to us. "I'll go with you. Diaz… I mean, Zieg, used me. I can't let him destroy the world."

Ryan chuckled. "Altruism, Lloyd? I didn't think you had it in you."

Lloyd smiled slightly. "This isn't for you, of course. There's no room for Zieg in my utopia." He looked at me, serious again. "Why did you stop him? I was your sworn enemy. You had every reason to let him kill me."

"Itto sou rojikaru kara za jikoku." I turned away. I wasn't too sure why I'd done it, either, and I had other things to worry about.

For once, Ryan didn't chastise me over not speaking English. He simply sighed, then turned to Lloyd. "He said it seemed logical at the time. Whatever that's supposed to mean."

I didn't even look at him as I turned to leave. "Forget it, Ryan. Let's just get going."

* * *

The Death Frontier was aptly named. It was a desert, occupied only by monsters. There were also a number of sand whirlpools that pulled in anything that got close.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only hazards. Not far in, Dart sent the rest of the group ahead, except for Rose. From his attitude, I got the uncomfortable feeling that he hadn't completely abandoned the idea of fighting Rose, even with my threat.

Because of this, I didn't go far. That way, if Dart did try something, I would be in a position to prevent it.

And it was well that I stayed behind. Once he thought everyone was far enough away, he drew his sword, indicating that Rose should do the same.

It was then that I stepped into view. "Don't do it, Dart. I told you before. If you try it, I will do what I must to stop you, up to and including killing you. Don't doubt it."

"This isn't your concern, Ian. Don't interfere." Dart readied his sword.

_If that's the way you want it, Dart…_ I pulled out my own blade and teleported, reappearing above him. Gravity did the rest, dropping me toward the ground. Just before I hit, my katana struck his sword, dropping it to the sand. I crouched to take the landing, then my upstroke sent Dart's weapon flying.

"I told you to stop, Dart! I won't say it again. The next time, it'll be your head." I calmly sheathed my blade, then stalked off, Rose not far behind. As we left, I could feel Dart staring at me in surprise. _Maybe now he'll get the picture. Too bad in doing so I've probably alienated myself from everybody. But it was worth it. Someday, maybe Dart will realize what killing Rose would have done to him in the end. But in the meantime, I should walk softly and leave everybody else alone._

* * *

The only break in the endless desert was a small oasis, where we rested for a couple of hours. Fortunately, despite my fears, the only one staying out of my vicinity was Dart. He now appeared troubled, perhaps thinking of what would have happened if I hadn't stopped him.

Despite that, I stood apart, leaning against a rock, thinking. Things had changed in the months since I had arrived in Endiness. _I_ had changed. I'd gone from a simple assassin whose worst problem was a single vampire out to kill him to one of the few people capable of saving an entire world. I'd gone from a place where the only people I could trust were my own family, to a world where I had friends and comrades.

One of those comrades had even trusted me sufficiently to share a secret that, had I been of different opinion, could have gotten her killed.

That thought brought me up short. _Rose and I _have_ been getting along rather well lately, haven't we?_ I recalled Ryan's reaction after I gave Rose Doragon-Adauchi. _Maybe Ryan understood something about this long before I did. The problem is, he probably thinks there's more to it than simply being good friends. He's gonna twit me about until I threaten to kill him. Ryan's just too stubborn to accept the truth when he hears it._

I looked up as Rose walked over. "Hello, Rose. Something up?"

She shook her head. "Not really." She fell silent for a moment, leaning against the rock next to me. "Thanks."

"No problem. I couldn't let Dart kill you, not after everything we've been through. I'd have been dead several times over if you hadn't been with us."

"You did die, once, though. When you took that spell from the Super Virage for me."

I shrugged. "Goshinpainaku yaku itto." At Rose's blank look, I remembered to translate. "Don't worry about it. I did what I had to do. I couldn't let a friend die. That is expected of any Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi ninja. Besides…"

Rose glanced at me as I trailed off. "What?"

"I've never before been able to trust anyone outside my own clan and family. That's how things are when you're an assassin. People tend to dislike you when they find out what you are and what you've done, and some even try to do something about it." I thought back on my old life. "Quite a few people ended up dead under such circumstances. Here, though… Here I have friends and comrades, people I'd die to protect. I don't want to lose one of the few people that I can truly consider a friend."

"Friend…" Rose mused. "It's been a thousand years since I had a friend. The Black Burst Dragon, Michael. He protected me for ten thousand years, and then, after all the time that had gone by, he turned wild. All Dragons do, eventually. And when Michael did, I had to kill him. Since then, I haven't trusted anyone."

I turned and held out my hand. "You can trust me, Rose. Always."

She took it, and smiled slightly. "Thank you."

* * *

It didn't take long after leaving the oasis to reach a small rock platform overlooking another, seemingly identical, section of desert.

Still, the very ordinariness of the area prevented me from being surprised when Rose announced that we had reached the entrance to Ulara. It looked _too_ ordinary to be all that was there.

Rose climbed onto the rock and held up her choker. "This choker has two magical powers. One is the spell that stopped time for me, and the other opens the way to the Spring Breath Town, Ulara."

Something flashed, and the air wavered in front of is. Within moments, Ulara had revealed itself, an oasis floating above the endless desert. There was only on problem.

"How do we get there, Rose?" Karen asked.

In answer, Rose moved a nearby rock, revealing a Wingly teleport pad. "This leads directly into the town. Once there, we must speak with Charle Frahma. She has the information we need." She stepped forward onto the pad and vanished in a ball of light.

I followed immediately, despite my usual caution. If there were any problems, Rose wouldn't have been so quick to go through.

The trip was brief, and disorientation inherent in teleportation faded quickly. I found myself in the Wingly city of Ulara, the home of Winglies who had aided humans during the Dragon Campaign. It was here, Rose had told me, that her journey as the Black Monster had begun, and hopefully, where it would begin to end.

The female Wingly guarding the teleported saw us immediately. "Rose! It's been a long time! And who's that with you?"

As the rest of the group began to arrive, Rose and I stepped forward. "This is the Dragoon of the Diamond Dragon," Rose replied, "and I think the rest of the introduction should be made by him. Some of it is unpronounceable by the rest of us."

_Yes, Rose is starting to act like a normal human being again. Probably a good sign._ I smiled slightly. "Rose is probably right. I have been trying to teach them, but I only started recently. My name is Ian Takahari, Dragoon of the Diamond Dragon, sole surviving sensei of the Gekido Oni Art of Ninjutsu, and one of only four members of the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi clan of ninja to remain alive. Oh yes, and I'm a vampire hunter." I paused to catch my breath. Too many more titles added to the list, and it'd take me all day just to introduce myself.

The Wingly smiled. "My name is Caron. I'm the guardian of the teleporter. Welcome to Ulara." Caron looked past us. "And these are the other new Dragoons?"

I nodded. "Our leader, Dart, is the Dragoon of the Red-Eyed Dragon, Albert holds the Jade Spirit, Haschel the Violet, Meru the Blue-Sea, Kongol the Golden, Miranda the White-Silver. The others, aside from the man with the red eyes and the Wingly, hold new Dragoon Spirits, as I do. The holder of the Time Dragoon Spirit is my brother Ryan, and the Starburst Dragoon is my sister, Karen. Finally, this is Lloyd the Wingly, and Kenji Okamura, also of the Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi. The red in his eyes is due to the fact that the vampire he was hunting ended up hunting him, instead."

"So the Diamond, Time, and Starburst Dragons were killed at last. Well, I assume you're here to talk to Charle?"

Rose nodded. "Yes. And I'm sure you know why. Where is she?"

Caron indicated an area farther north. "She's at home, waiting for you. You still remember how to get there?"

"Of course. The years haven't altered my memory, Caron."

The Wingly looked closely at her. "You're beginning to notice time again, aren't you? And you're recovering other things…" She looked at me oddly.

_Why is everyone acting so strange around me lately? Is something going on that everyone but I can see?_ Puzzled, I fell back on old personality traits and stalked off. There were times when people began to irritate me, and this appeared to be one of them.

When I reached the teleporter leading into Charle Frahma's home, I paused, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. It occurred to me that it would be best for Rose to make the introductions, since she was the only one of our group to have met Charle before.

"So this is Charle Frahma's home?" I asked Rose when they arrived.

"Yes. Let's go."

Charle was indeed waiting for us when we entered. While Rose made the introductions, I silently observed. Charle Frahma appeared to be a woman in her twenties, but the things she spoke of proved that she was far older. Particularly the fact that the leader of the Winglies during the Dragon Campaign was her younger brother, Melbu. This was a person who had seen much more than most others.

When the introductions where finished, Charle looked at me. "You're not from around here, are you?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not. As Rose said, my name is Ian Takahari. The only reason I'm here is that Zieg got hold of an old artifact made by your people, which he gave to Lloyd. Lloyd then passed it on to Emperor Doel, who, being a well-read dictator, linked the artifact, the Dark Mirror, to a prophecy he had heard. He decided to make sure that the Diamond Dragoon never came into existence, and sent a team of assassins to my home, where they succeeded in killing my parents and capturing my brother. Unfortunately for Doel," and at this I smiled coldly, "they got the wrong Takahari. I killed the assassins, and ended up here. A week later, and Doel's fears came true. The prophecy was fulfilled, and I ended up as the holder of the first new Dragoon Spirit in eleven thousand years."

"I see… But if you've managed to retrieve the Mirror, why are you still here? What ties you to this world so strongly that you risk your life to save it?"

I leaned back against the wall. "I have my reasons."

"I see." Charle said again. "Anyway, you want to know what Zieg is up to, right?"

"That's what we're here for," Rose acknowledged. "What is he doing and how do we stop him?"

Charle looked grim. "I don't know why Zieg's doing it or where he went wrong, but with the Divine Moon Objects, he can destroy the remaining Signet Spheres preventing the birth of the God of Destruction."

Rose frowned. "Signet Spheres? There was another safety measure that you didn't mention?"

"Yes. When we separated the soul and the flesh of the God of Destruction, we created the five Signet Spheres to make sure that, even if the Crystal Sphere were destroyed, the world would be safe. But Melbu created the Divine Moon Objects so that he could destroy the Signets if he wanted to. I don't know exactly why. It was because of those that we needed you to become the Black Monster. If someone got the keys, the Moon Child would be able to make it to the Moon That Never Sets, and we couldn't let it happen."

"Why only three Moon objects if there were five Signets?" I asked.

"Two of the Signets have since been destroyed," Charle replied. "One when Kadessa was destroyed, the other when the Divine Dragon attacked Deningrad. You see, Deningrad was once known as the Birth City, and its Signet was in the Crystal Palace."

"And the section containing it was destroyed. I see. That explains why the Divine Dragon singled it out. It hated Winglies."

"That answers what he is doing, but how do we stop him?" Rose demanded.

"You have to get to the Signets first and guard them," Charle replied. Your first stop should be the Magical City, Aglis. Go to Rouge, and your way will be opened."

At this, Haschel started. "Rouge? That's where I'm from!"

Charle smiled. "See, your way is already open. But it's getting late. You should wait until tomorrow to leave, when you've rested."

"Sensible." I turned to leave.

"Wait," Charle said.

I waited for the others to leave, then turned back. "What?"

She held out a ring. "Take this."

I took it, puzzled. "What is it?" It seemed possessed of magical abilities, of a sort that seemed familiar.

"It has the same magic as Rose's choker, as well as healing properties. As long as you wear that, time will not pass for you, and you will be almost invincible. You'll be effectively immortal."

_What's going on here? Why would I need it?_ "Why?"

"So that you can live as long as Rose, of course," Charle said.

I froze. "If we're going to have to end the cycle of the Moon Child now anyway, there's no chance of my having to replace her as the Black Monster. So what is the point!?" The topic was beginning to irritate me, since no one seemed inclined to tell me what was going on.

"You truly don't know?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't ask!"

Charle shook her head. "Odd, that you would be the last to realize it, when it's obvious to those around you."

I took a couple of deep breaths, telling myself firmly that strangling her would _not_ get my question answered. "Could you just tell me what's going on _without_ the footnotes, please?"

"Of course," she replied. "You feel more for Rose than just friendship."

What!?_ Impossible! There's no way-_ I reeled back in shock, then recovered. _Wait a minute, baka. Since when do you accept things as truth just because one person says it is?_

I turned for the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have some thinking to do," I told Charle over my shoulder, and then left.

* * *

That night, I decided to hunt up my twin. If anyone was likely to be able to help me figure things out, it was him, despite his usual lack of seriousness.

Oddly, however, Ryan was nowhere to be found. Usually, he would have been _somewhere_ visible at a time like this, but he seemed to have abandoned his habit that night.

I eventually came across a note, with a metal fragment wrapped in it. The note had Ryan's signature, and was addressed to me. The contents were startling:

"Ian, sorry to leave at a time like this, but I have no choice. I discovered this fragment within Ulara. I'm sure you recognize it. I think you'll understand, given your own private vendetta. I hope this won't take long, but I can't make any promises; besides, the Diamond Dragoon is more valuable to the group than I am. See you when I've taken care of everything. Ryan."

Holding up the fragment, I did indeed recognize it. It was a shard from a sword I had thought destroyed months before, which I had last seen wielded by Ryan himself, as Doel's unwitting minion: the Soul Slayer. Ryan apparently believed it to have been reforged, and was going after it himself, without asking for help.

_You're right, Ryan. I do understand. Good luck, wherever you are._

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Ian? What is it?"

I turned. "Rose? It's Ryan. He's left." I handed her the note.

Rose glanced over it. "He's gone to destroy the Soul Slayer on his own? Why?"

"The blade is to him what von Schneider is to me: a personal enemy, to be dealt with without help. There's nothing we could do now, anyway. He's probably a long way away by now. All we can do is continue on to Aglis tomorrow. This is his concern, and we still have ours."

Author's note: Hope it was a good chapter. Took me a couple of weeks, but it's finished.

On another topic, I could use some reviews, here. No reviews, no reason to continue the story. Please keep them coming. ~Solid Shark


	25. Chapter 25: The Bat Strikes Again

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

I crumpled the note Ryan had left, then turned my attention to the shard of the evil blade he'd left with it. It might be his own private problem, but I still had to deal with the piece before me.

I set it on the ground, then closed my eye, concentrating. "Yokoshima shushi, temae bekarazu satsu okeru kono seken. Watakushi shimanagashi temae dzuki sono munashii, doko temae mune yakkai sono seisoku iiya ichidan." As I spoke, I wove a _kuji_ pattern in the air, drawing on the primal energy of the universe. The sword fragment rose into the air, and a dark hole appeared before it. Soul Slayer's shard vanished within it, and the gateway disappeared behind it.

I turned to Rose. "Well, that's that."

"What was that?" She indicated the space the metal fragment was no longer occupying.

"The translation would be: 'Evil object, you must not remain in this world. I banish you to the void, where you will bother the living no more'. Essentially, I opened a gate to the darkness from which all things come, and all will return to in the end." I frowned. "The odd thing is, it was almost as if something at the other end was attracting it, pulling it toward itself. I don't know what it was, but it felt… wrong. As evil as the sword."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "Mayfil. Shirley was right; the Death City is active once more. Anything there that might want the sword is conceivably worse than Melbu Frahma himself."

Abruptly, I stiffened, glancing around. Something had changed suddenly, and not for the better.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, seeing my posture.

"Ikko shunji." I stretched out with my mind, using _kuji_ and my Dragoon Spirit to enhance my senses. A familiar presence was coming, fast. One with a dark aura. My eye widened. "Down!" Taking my own advice, I dropped to the ground, just as a swarm of bats flew past.

As I expected, the bats coalesced into Count Draco von Schneider, my perennial adversary. "Hello, Takahari. We meet again." He glanced at Rose. "And now you have a girlfriend? How touching. Perhaps I'll turn you _after_ I turn her."

"Over my dead body." I stood, drawing Arashi-Jisan at the same time.

Draco shrugged. "As you wish." He drew his broadsword from under his cape. "Can you beat me, Takahari? I rather doubt it. How many times have we fought before, and how many times have I survived? This time, you will fall."

"Really? News to me, gaichou." I raised my right hand, the ring Charle had given me glinting in the light from a nearby lamp. "You can't kill me. Hinote Doragon!" I leapt forward, blade flashing through the air.

Our swords clashed, and we pulled apart. The old vampire shook his head and laughed. "You still think you're immortal? Pitiful fool, you will die."

I smiled coldly. "I can outlast even you, Draco. No matter what you do, I won't die. And I have always been stronger."

"Really?" von Schneider raised an eyebrow. "Do your worst, hunter."

I grinned fiercely. "Gladly." I pulled out my Dragoon Spirit. "Temae mune zannen sannyuu sugi ware matashitemo!" I glanced over at Rose. "Rose, taizai kara kono. Kono waga kaisen hitori, soshite itto shuuryou imasara."

She may not have understood the words themselves, but she caught the meaning and stepped reluctantly away.

I turned back to the vampire. "Alright, kakushigo. It's just you and me." I drew on the Dragoon Spirit's power, letting it alter my form, strengthen my body, and complete the armor of the Diamond Dragoon. "Imasara temae saikoro!" I lunged at him again, this time slicing away his cape.

"Not bad, Takahari. But, the weak will die off to make room for the strong. It is the way of the universe. And you are the weak, while I am the strong." von Schneider raised his blade in an offensive stance.

"Sayou? Nyu-zu dzuki ware, gaichou." I attacked once more, then pulled back. "Goshujin rinban."

Draco shrugged. "As you wish. But remember, I know your armor's weaknesses." His blade began to glow with magic power, the only way his sword could penetrate my armor.

I blocked his first strike, then flew backwards to dodge the next. Even so, I was getting worried. Despite my words to von Schneider, I was not at all confident that the magic in the ring would protect me. If it failed against this magically-empowered blade, I would almost certainly die, for my enemy had given up on trying to turn me, and would settle for killing me.

Within seconds, I knew that this battle was not going well. It had already lasted more than ten seconds, which is a _long_ time for a swordfight, once blades are drawn. Von Schneider was too good, and this fight might end our long enmity, with me as the loser.

It seemed that I was going to be proven right. "Enough of this," Draco said. "Now you die, ninja." He drew back his blade, then hurled it into my chest, where it pierced my heart.

I fell back, staring at the sword buried in my chest. _He's too good… I guess this is it for the last master of the Gekido Oni Art. Killed by my old enemy, because my pride wouldn't let me ask for assistance._

I dimly heard von Schneider speaking. "So much for that. Now, as for you…" He seemed to be turning to Rose.

I found my voice. "Not… a good… idea, vermin. You have… no concept… of how much… experience… she has."

The sword was pulled from my chest, and then the hilt hit me in the face. "Shut up and die quietly, Takahari. It's over for you." He stabbed me twice more for good measure, then turned away again.

Then strength began to return to my limbs, and wounds closed. The ring was glowing, its magic healing my injuries, bringing me back from the brink of death.

I slowly stood, drawing Migi-no-te from its scabbard on my belt. "Draco von Schneider,"

The vampire slowly turned, a stunned expression his face.

"The game isn't over yet." I raised my katana. "What's the matter? Don't you want it to end, your long centuries? Revenge will never bring you redemption, so I'm gonna do it for you." I rushed forward, swinging my blade. The blow sliced cleanly though his neck, severing his head; I kicked the headless vampire over the cliff edge.

__

"Sunawachi taishite sono Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi!" I shouted after him. "Saa taishite ware matashitemo, soshite watakushi mune satsu oite joukei."

I returned to human form just as the other Dragoons arrived. "Ian! Rose! Are you two all right?" Meru asked.

Rose nodded. "It was nothing we couldn't handle." She briefly glanced at me, obviously still shocked by my survival after such a wound.

"Was it von Schneider again?" Karen asked.

"Yep. Cleaned his clock for once, though." I nodded toward the cliff. "He's either temporarily squished, or flying around as a bat. I don't particularly care which."

Karen suddenly looked around. "Hey, where's Ryan? I'd have thought he'd have heard the commotion too."

I shrugged. "Hon'in bekarazu nou, nozoite ki itto renza Soul Slayer. Aitsu kedashi hidarigawa toki izenni, nagara."

Karen gasped at the name, and the others looked apprehensive, though they didn't understand the rest of it. "Tadashi omaesan zenki omaesan shou Soul Slayer, Ian-san! Hatamata mohaya omaesan rigen itto youritsu!?"

"Iesu. Ryan hidarigawa ato fuki; sunawachi warera nou." I handed her the note.

"Would you mind telling the rest of us what's going on?" Dart asked finally.

I looked up. "Oh, sorry. Ryan left a few hours ago, leaving only a note and a metal fragment." I paused. "The Soul Slayer still exists, and he's gone to destroy it. Alone."

"What!? Now? Private vendettas can wait; we're trying to stop my father from destroying the world!"

"Nagoyaka!" My sharp tone got their attention. "Sorry, Dart, but Ryan's right. Nine Dragoons and a Wingly should be enough to deal with whatever comes up before he returns. Besides which, what use is saving the world if something like that evil blade is left alone? Why do you think I stand and fight von Schneider whenever he appears? Because a world that is safe from destruction at the cost of vampires running loose is a world not worth living on. Likewise, even the fragments of that sword can cause a great deal of trouble."

Dart nodded slowly. "I guess you're right."

"I hope he'll be all right," Meru said.

I smiled. "Ryan's a Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi ninja. He'll be fine."

* * *

The next morning, we left Ulara via the teleporter, which brought us to the Home of Giganto, and from there began the journey back to Fletz.

I had a more personal matter to consider, however. Charle had come to a startling conclusion, the day we arrived, and it took some thinking to determine its veracity.

In the end, I found that Charle was probably right, that I did think of Rose as more than just a friend. Even so, there were problems. _Itto shikaruni waga matsuro dzuki zanson hitori. Sonna sono ninja jinsei. Sonna waga seishitsu. Ninja kamoshirenai koigokoro ninja yuiitsu. Warera mikiri sono sotogawa seken, soshite motte itto sotogawa koigokoro._ And that, I thought, was that. Little did I know how wrong I was…

There was also Ryan to consider. With his departure, we were down one Dragoon, and he didn't have our help. While I had the highest confidence in his fighting skills against normal enemies, I wasn't so sure about his success against Soul Slayer; the weapon had possessed him once before, and it might do so again given the opportunity. I respected his decision to face it alone, but I wasn't sure it was the smartest one he could have made.

One thing I felt certain of, however: whether Ryan wanted it of not, the rest of us would be seeing Soul Slayer again. The blade manipulated people, and was clearly semi-sentient. It would want revenge against me, even more than against Ryan, for I was the one who shattered it.

* * *

We didn't stay long in Fletz; King Zior had already had the _Queen Fury_ readied for our journey, so we left the same day we arrived. From there, it was another journey across the sea.

I climbed to the crow's nest shortly after boarding the ship. On two of our previous journeys with the ship, things had gone wrong, and I wanted a good vantage point from which to spot trouble long before it got near us.

I wearily pulled of my helmet, setting it on the deck beside me. Despite the ring Charle had given me, I still wore my armor, both because I didn't fully trust the magic, and because I wasn't sure I wanted my comrades to know of it. Some things were better kept secret.

It wasn't long before I heard someone coming up the ladder behind me. As I had sensed von Schneider's approach, I knew my visitor's identity immediately. Also, I'd been expecting it. "Hello, Rose."

"Ian." Rose came over and stood beside me.

"I imagine you have some questions."

She nodded. "Yes."

"You want to know how I survived." Again, it wasn't a question.

She nodded once more. "You were dying. Our White-Silver Dragoon was nowhere near."

I raised my right hand, ring glinting in the sunset. "Earlier that day, Charle spoke to me in private, after the rest of you had left. She gave me this ring. She said that it had magic similar to your choker, that I wouldn't age as long as I wore it, and that almost any wound would be healed, fatal or no, before it killed me. Theoretically, even losing my head wouldn't be the end of things. I didn't trust it, but it saved my life then."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "Did she give a reason for why she was giving it to you?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes, she did. She said that I would need it in order to live as long as you." I hesitated; this was a matter that I would have preferred not to bring up at all, but Rose deserved a complete answer. "Charle said… that I feel more for you that just friendship."

Her eyes narrowed even more. "And…?"

I turned. "It doesn't matter if it's true or not. Centuries ago, the ninja gave up the outside world, and with it they forsake outside love. That is how we live, and that's all there is to it."

Rose nodded slightly, then climbed back down to the main deck, leaving me with my thoughts.

Author's note: Another chapter completed and the subplot begins to take shape. Let me know what you think of it.

Here's the translations for this chapter: "Ikko shunji" is "one moment"; "Temae mune zannen sannyuu sugi ware matashitemo" is "you will regret coming after me again"; "Taizai kara kono" is "stay out of this"; "Kono waga kaisen hitori, soshite itto shuuryou imasara" translates roughly as "This is my battle alone, and it ends now"; "Imasara temae saikoro" means "Now you die"; "Sayou" is "indeed"; "Nyu-zu dzuki ware, gaichou" is "news to me, vermin"; "Goshujin rinban" is "your turn"; "Sunawachi taishite sono" is "that is for the"; "saa taishite ware matashitemo, soshite watakushi mune satsu oite joukei" means "come for me again, and I will kill you on sight". "Hon'in bekarazu nou, nozoite ki itto renza" translates as "I do not know, except that it involved"; "aitsu kedashi hidarigawa toki izenni, nagara" is "he probably left hours ago, though"; "tadashi omaesan zenki omaesan shou" is "but you said you destroyed"; "Hatamata mohaya omaesan rigen itto youritsu" means "and now you're saying it's back"; "Iesu" is "yes"; "hidarigawa ato fuki" means "left a note"; "sunawachi warera nou" is "that is how we know"; "Nagoyaka" is "quiet". "Itto shikaruni waga matsuro dzuki zanson hitori" means "it is still my fate to remain alone"; "Sonna sono ninja jinsei" means "such is the ninja life"; "sono waga seishitsu" is "that is our nature"; "Ninja kamoshirenai koigokoro ninja yuiitsu" means "ninja may love ninja only"; and "warera mikiri sono sotogawa seken, soshite motte itto sotogawa koigokoro" is "we forsake the outside world, and with it outside love".

To answer iggles03, this isn't going to exactly follow the ending from the game. As you can probably already tell, the ending is going to be drastically different in this story.

As usual, please read and review.


	26. Chapter 26: The Magical City, Aglis

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

We were two days out from Fletz when the village of Rouge came into view. It wasn't even on land, except for a small portion, so Commodore Puller decided not to risk bringing the _Queen Fury_ too close, lest we run aground and destroy the entire village. Instead, we took a small launch over to Rouge's docks.

Haschel was in high spirits when we arrived; this was his home, and he hadn't been back in over twenty years. Not since his daughter had run away and he'd left to find her. I was unhappily certain that his quest was in vain; from what I had pieced together, his daughter Claire was Dart's mother, and that meant she'd died eighteen years ago, when Rose attacked Neet. There had only been three survivors, and Claire wasn't among them.

We quickly found out just how much of a backwater Rouge was: when asked about Winglies, the mayor looked puzzled. "What's a Wingly?" was all he asked.

_Well, Mr. Mayor, my friend there with the platinum hair is one. So is the other fellow with platinum hair, the one in black. But I guess I can't expect you to notice such things; I mean, you don't even recognize the master of your local martial art?_

The mayor was of some help. He mentioned a "stick" that had recently turned up in the waters off Rouge's coast. It hadn't been there before, and he thought it might something to do with what we were looking for.

From the village's observation platform, we were able to determine that the object was considerably larger than a stick. "What do you think it is?" I asked Rose.

She frowned, thinking. "The only Wingly city near the water was the Magical City, Aglis. That 'stick' is probably it."

"But how do we get to it?" Albert asked. "The launch would never make it, and the _Queen Fury_ is too large."

As if in answer, the ground began to shake. It was so abrupt and unexpected that I was thrown over the railing; only the quick use of my grappling hook stopped me falling all the way.

When I finally climbed back up, the others were staring at the sea. I turned to see what was up, then stared as well. The sea had parted, forming a shallow area that a launch would be able to pass through. _Reminds me of Moses parting the Red Sea. Only this is parting an ocean. And if that's not Aglis beyond it, I'll eat my sword. Only a place like that could have sufficient magical power to accomplish such a feat._

As we headed back to Rouge's dock, I glanced around. I had the odd feeling I was being watched, yet I sensed nothing. As my senses were more acute than ordinary humans, and my training with _kuji_ and Dragoon Spirits had given me a high sensitivity to magic and energy fields. If someone was watching me, I _should_ have been able to sense them.

* * *

It was indeed Aglis that we entered, after leaving Rouge. Rose recognized it, and there was unlikely to be any other place in Endiness with that much raw magical power. It was intense enough that I had to close my mind to input other than from my normal senses. Prolonged exposure to the energy fields that gave power both to the Dragoons and the _kuji_-using ninja, from what I had been taught, could lead to madness to those with high enough sensitivity. Too long without filtering it, and I could die. Magic was a double-edged sword.

"So this really is Aglis?" I asked Rose.

She nodded. "Yes. The Magical City, where there greatest magic users lived. Their power permeates the city now."

"I can feel it. In fact, it's enough to be dangerous to me. As both the sensei of the Gekido Oni Art of Ninjutsu and the Diamond Dragoon, amounts of magic this large can pose a serious threat to my health if I'm not careful. High magic ability is useful in battle, but leaves me more vulnerable to it."

About then a small creature came over to us. "Ruff is to show you to Savan, ruff. He wants to talk to you, ruff."

I looked at the others, perplexed. "'Ruff'? And who is this Savan?"

Miranda reacted with less restraint. "Just give us the message or I'll rough you up!"

The magical creature looked up at her. "'Rough you up'? Ruff hasn't seen it, so Ruff doesn't know, ruff."

I glared at Miranda. My first impression of her hadn't been very good, and her temper continued to irritate me. A warrior was supposed to be calm, not constantly ready to tear someone's head off in a fit of rage. "Forget it, Miranda. This thing obviously wasn't designed with much intelligence in mind. It's enough that we know where to go to find this Savan. Presumably, he's a Wingly, though what he would want with Dragoons is beyond me."

Rose nodded. "Ian's right; we need to get moving. We must reach the Signet Sphere before Zieg." Miranda continued to look murderous, but made no comment.

We came across several more of the creatures along the way, none of them much brighter than Ruff, all of them spouting their messages in the same irritating speech patterns. We also encountered a fairly sizable monster population along the way; whoever Savan was, he apparently wasn't much as a housekeeper. I'd seen thousand-year-old ruins with less dust and animal life.

Eventually, we came to an odd room with some sort of cylindrical mirror in the center of the floor. "What's this?" I glanced at Rose, but she appeared to be just as puzzled.

"I don't know, but it appears to be a Wingly artifact. Quite powerful, in terms of magic use."

_Not another Wingly artifact,_ I thought. _I've had way too much trouble with those things. First the mirror that brought me here, then the thing von Schneider cloned me with. So what's this?_

Without warning, an image appeared in the mirror. It was us, replicating our movements in real time. _So that's it,_ I realized. _That's why I felt like I was being watched. I was._

In the next room, Savan appeared. Clearly a very old Wingly, he looked as if he were already dead, and had simply failed to notice. He was also entirely bald, unusual for a Wingly.

"Welcome, Dragoons," he said. "I have been waiting for you, for seven thousand years."

"You're Savan?" Dart asked.

"Yes. And you are the son of Zieg, here to defend the Signet Sphere from your father. But I fear we have little time for introductions. We must begin work immediately."

"Ikko shunji. What kind of work? Mind telling us what's up?" My hand strayed unobtrusively to the pistol holstered at my right hip. I didn't trust Savan; of course, I didn't trust anyone else until they'd proved themselves, either.

Savan nodded. "Of course. At the end of the Dragon Campaign, eleven thousand years ago, I used magic to make my body immortal, and sealed myself here in Aglis. And for four thousand years, my existence served no purpose."

I raised my eyebrows. This wasn't the sort of thing you expected to hear from a Wingly; at least not if you believed the tales calling them arrogant enslavers, one and all.

"Then, seven thousand years ago, Rose saved me."

I glanced at her. She seemed as puzzled as the rest of us. "I don't recall ever meeting you before."

The old Wingly nodded. "True. But it was at that time that I saw you in the mirror, saw you working to protect the world. It was then that I acquired a cause, and I began my research to help you. It has taken thousands of years, but it is nearly ready."

"What?" Albert asked.

"The new Signet Sphere, Moot, and the Psychedelic Bomb. With one, the God of Destruction will forever be barred from its birth, and with the other, you will be able to defeat Zieg. Moot is ready; it will be activated shortly."

"So what do you need us for?" Meru asked.

Savan looked at her. "It takes courage to activate the Psychedelic Bomb, and mine was not sufficient. Yours, however, should be more than enough. To draw it out, you will all be put through trials, to test your courage."

Dart nodded slowly. "Alright. What do we do?"

"Follow me." Savan lead us into another room, with several circles on the floor, resembling teleport pads, with colors corresponding to our Dragoon armor. "Step on those."

The other Dragoons stepped onto the pads. I hung back; none of them matched my black diamond armor. I glanced at Savan. "What about me?"

"You need no trial," he replied. "You have already been through more difficult tests of courage than I could devise. It takes a great deal of courage to face your enemies, the vampires, when a single wound could doom you."

I shrugged. "Perhaps. The banpaia can be frightening. But it is what I was born and bred for."

Distantly, the clash of swords echoed. "I suggest you ready your blade," Savan said. "It would appear you will be tested after all."

My hand went to Arashi-Jisan's hilt. "What are you talking about?"

I was answered when Ryan came sailing into view. His flight was uncontrolled, and he landed on the floor in front of me, hard. "Ryan! What happened!?"

"Do you really need to ask?" A voice, with a German accent. Only one creature I knew had that foul voice.

I drew my katana as I spotted the source of the voice. "Draco," I breathed. And he was wielding Soul Slayer.

"Yes, me. But then you already knew I would be back, didn't you?" The vampire smiled. "You can put away your weapon, by the way. I'm just here to show you what I've acquired. Goodbye, Takahari. Until next time." He turned, transforming into a bat swarm.

"Von Schneider! Wait, you kakushigo!" _I hate that bat._ It was clear that von Schneider was getting away, so I went over and helped Ryan to his feet. "You okay, ototo?"

He groaned, rolled over, and stood. "Yeah, mostly. Ki genni kega."

"I bet it did. Von Schneider and Soul Slayer are bad enough separately. Together, we've got problems."

Ryan finally looked around. "What is this place, anyway? And where's everybody else?"

Savan answered for me. "This is the Wingly city Aglis, and your friends are undergoing tests of their courage, to activate the weapon that can stop Zieg. Like the Diamond Dragoon, your courage has already been amply tested."

At Ryan's look of incomprehension, I quietly explained. He nodded slowly when I finished. "I see. So we just wait here for the others to get back?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't be too long. Now answer me this: how did that abominable bastard get the Soul Slayer? In the first place, he should still have been recuperating from losing his head, and in the second, it should have taken a lot longer to get very far from Ulara. Where did you encounter him?"

Ryan shrugged. "I was checking some rumors near the remains of Neet. I found the sword there, damaged but still powerful, thrust into the head of grave. That was when your old buddy Draco showed up and took it. He said something about getting his revenge against you by killing me, and came at me. I ran like a bat out of hell, and ended up running from there all the way back to Fletz, where I was told where you guys had gone. I took a ship to Rouge, and then von Schneider caught up with me on the way over here. The rest you know."

"You're really lucky, you know that? At least you had the good sense to run; you were never trained in vampire hunting and he would have torn you to pieces." I glared at him. "But did you have to lead him here? Draco didn't want you; he wanted you to lead him to us. Me, if you want to be specific. And I don't have time to deal with that maniac right now."

"Sorry, niisan. But like you said, I don't have any vampire killing experience. You and Kenji are the only people in Endiness that do."

I nodded sadly. "I guess you're right. But make that only people anywhere. The Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi were the only ninja in the hunt, and we've been all but wiped out."

* * *

Silence reigned until the rest of the group returned from their trials. Rose came back first; it appeared she had also not been tested. The others weren't far behind.

"Ryan? You're back?" Karen was the first to notice his presence.

"Yeah. Thanks to Ian's old enemy." Ryan winced. Apparently, he'd been slightly injured.

"It's worse," I said grimly. "The Count has Soul Slayer."

"Nothing we can do about it right now," Dart said. "Right now, we have to get to the Signet Sphere."

"This way," Savan said. "It is time to activate Moot."

He lead us deeper into Aglis's labyrinth of corridors, eventually coming to a large room containing the first Signet Sphere I had actually seen. Near it was a grotesque, squid-like creature. "That," Savan said proudly, "is the Last Kraken. It guards Moot, and nothing will be able to get past it."

I felt a cold wind go through me. Something was amiss; I could feel it. I drew my katana, spinning to face the Last Kraken. "Zieg! Show yourself!"

I could feel the others staring at me. "Ian? Have you gone nuts?" Ryan asked, with his usual lack of tact.

I ignored him. "Come on, Zieg. I know you're here."

The Last Kraken began moving out of control. Then we heard Zieg's voice. "So, you _are_ a sensitive, Takahari. Unfortunate, but hardly catastrophic. You will die here, all of you, and the Signet Sphere will be destroyed."

"Dad! Stop!" Dart shouted.

"The Last Kraken is out of control!" Savan said worriedly. "It must be stopped!"

"Un, hon'in nou." I tensed, preparing to jump. "Dart?"

"Right. Let's go!" Dart was engulfed in flames for a moment, then emerged as the Red-Eyed Dragoon. "Final Burst!"

"Rose Storm!"

"Supernova!"

I screamed a battle cry, something that my ancestors would have uttered in a battle like this, then leapt into the fray. "Imasara temae saikoro, kaibutsu! Biribiri Ken!" Riding the wings of a Dragoon, I swept down on the abomination, slashing at its tentacles.

A hit sent me slamming into the ground, then another tentacle wrapped around me, picked me up, and flung me headlong into a wall. I fell, dazed. Once more I heard Zieg, taunting me. "You see? You can't protect anyone! Not even yourself!"

Another body fell beside me. Rose. Slowly, painfully, I raised my head. "That's… where you're wrong, Zieg. You'll wish… you never made me angry." I climbed to my feet, leaving Arashi-Jisan where it lay, and returned to human form. Standing there unarmored, I flung away the short cape I normally wore, and reached for my belt. Despite the hits I'd taken, my pistols were still there, and I quickly drew them, flicked the safeties off, and opened fire. The fourteen .50 caliber bullets (seven from each gun) ripped into the Last Kraken, inflicting grievous wounds.

When the magazines were exhausted, I used the moment of breathing they'd bought to help Rose to her feet. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you." Rose glared at the creature. "I don't understand how Zieg got the power to control the Last Kraken. That's beyond even Dragoons."

"Yeah. And I think it's time to end this." I retrieved my katana and began to focus. Arashi-Jisan took on a red glow. _I must give Arashi-Jisan everything I've got._ When the glow turned to a corona of fire, engulfing the blade, I hurled it into the Last Kraken.

The results were dramatic. It was evidently water-based, and when the fiery sword struck it, it made an inhuman howl of pain and rage, then slumped, dead.

The room began to shake even as I pulled the sword from the corpse. "Savan! What's going on!?" I heard Dart yell.

"The energy from the Dragoons and the Last Kraken have destabilized Moot. It's going to explode!" Savan sounded broken. The work of thousands of years, wiped out in an instant. "I'll teleport you to safety."

"Savan! Wait!" But the room was already wavering. When my sight cleared, we were outside the Signet Chamber.

Dart ran to the door. "Savan! Get out of there!"

His voice came to us, faintly. "No. I'll stay here to the end. Hurry to Zenebatos! I will give you wings to fly. Goodbye…"

There was a tremendous explosion, then silence. Savan, and the Signet Sphere, were gone.

* * *

We made our way back to the chamber where we had arrived. Before his death, Savan had mentioned that the teleporter to Zenebatos was near there.

We gathered in the chamber. Along the way, we had found Savan's magical creatures dying, and with their last power, they had opened the way. "Is everyone ready?" Dart asked softly.

"Yes."

"Then let's go." We stepped onto the pad, and the world went away.

Author's note: Chapter 26 complete. Looks like the story will be wrapped up soon. Next chapter, Ian and Rose return alone to Vellweb, to free the lost Dragoons. Surprises await them, there in the dead city.

Not much to translate this time; it took me 45 minutes to write the author's notes last chapter, so I decided to cut down on it. Here they are: "ototo" is "younger brother"; "ki genni kega" means "that really hurt"; "niisan" translates as "older brother"; "kaibutsu" is "monster"; and "Biribiri Ken" means "Ripping Blade". "Banpaia" is another word for vampire.

That should about cover everything. Read it and let me know what you think of it. ~Solid Shark


	27. Chapter 27: The Lost Dragoons

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

When our surroundings stabilized, we were in a room even more beat-up than Aglis. And that took some doing.

"So this is the Law City Zenebatos," Albert mused. "I've long wished to see it."

"Of course _you_ have, Albert," Ryan said. "If you live long enough, one day you'll learn more than your brain can hold, and your head will explode. Such are the hazards of being a scholar."

We exited the teleporter chamber, and saw before us the ruins of the once-great city. But it was not motionless, as one would expect. Instead, there were automated units moving around, going about the business of passing laws that no one ever knew about.

There was a sound of wings nearby, and a large, ray-like creature floated toward us. "I am Coolon. Do you want to have wings?"

"This must be the 'wings' Savan mentioned," Dart said.

Rose frowned. "Dart, I have business in Vellweb. We will have to delay our search for the Signet Sphere here."

"Business…?" Dart looked puzzled, then looked up. "The lost Dragoons Shirley mentioned!"

"Yes. Stopping Zieg is important, but I can't leave my old friends trapped between life and death."

Dart nodded. "Of course. Will you need assistance?"

Rose shook her head. "Just Ian. We can handle it."

"Alright. We need supplies anyway, so we'll stop in Deningrad while you continue to Vellweb."

_Why me?_ I wondered. _Admittedly, we fight well together, but I would think that she'd bring Dart, if anyone. I'm not even from this world, and Dart is the first of our group she met._

I tabled my concerns as we climbed aboard Coolon and headed for Mille Seseau.

* * *

After a stopover in Deningrad, Rose and I continued on to Vellweb. We landed outside; the terrain inside was too rough for Coolon to land. Once within, it took only half an hour to reach the base of the Tower of the Seven Dragoons.

Even as it came into view, I could tell something was wrong. There was someone near; I felt eyes on me. This was confirmed when we got to the tower itself.

A figure dressed in black dropped in front of the entrance, laughing. "So it's you, Ian Takahari. I knew you would come here again."

My face drained of blood. I knew that voice, and hated it. "Temae! Fugiri rakugosha kakushigo!"

Rose glanced at me. "You know him?"

I nodded, furious. "Hideo Suzuki, rogue Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi."

"I thought you said there were only four of you left."

"I said _rogue_ Kyuuketsuki Ryoushi. This particular ninja was cast out years ago, by my father. He suffers from lycanthropy, and rather than attempting to contain it, he gloried in it, killing every full moon."

Rose frowned. "Lycanthropy?"

"In plain language, a werewolf. Worse, the kakushigo learned to transform at will, and our clan began to get a bad name from his activities. Suzuki is one of the reasons the ninja hunters were formed. Eventually, my father, who was then leader of the clan, cast him out, with the warning that if Hideo ever returned, he would be killed on sight. Somehow, his exile apparently took him here. Now, I suppose he wants vengeance, since I am the son of the man who exiled him." I drew Arashi-Jisan. "Now it's time to finish the job my father began."

"Don't try to tell me to stay out of it. I won't. Your problems tend to become everyone's problems."

I sighed. _Guess she's right._ "Fine. But use Doragon-Adauchi. Rapiers have been known to break when faced with a katana."

Hideo laughed again. "Through chatting? I thought you wanted to fight, Takahari."

"Bring it on, traitor." I held my katana in a low guard position, then leapt over Suzuki's first strike, a leg cut. I retaliated on the way down, trying a slice that would have opened him from left shoulder to right hip, had he not blocked it.

The impact knocked me off balance, and Rose took the offensive, slipping a blow past his guard and opening a gash on his left arm.

"Two on one? Shameful, Takahari. Simply shameful." Hideo's next attack glanced off Rose's armor.

I flipped back to my feet, catching him in the chin in the process. "The one who fights fair is the one that dies."

"And I thought you ever-chivalrous Takaharis fought as you lived. Honorable, to the last." He hit me with a _kuji_ spell that sent me high into the air, forcing me to drop my sword at the same time.

With me temporarily indisposed, Hideo turned his attention to Rose. "You're new to the katana, aren't you? And you thought you could defeat someone who's trained with them all his life?" He began to change, shifting to his wolf form.

"I don't need to defeat you," Rose replied. "I just need to keep you occupied long enough for Ian to finish you off."

Suzuki looked up at that. I had recovered midair and drawn Migi-no-te, while he was neither fully human nor fully werewolf. He was vulnerable, and I used the opportunity to land on his back, kick him away, and rebound, landing easily on my feet.

I walked over to him, sheathing the Masamune and retrieving Arashi-Jisan. "One thing you never learned, Hideo. The Gekido Oni Art was always the best." I brought the blade back, preparing for the killing stroke.

Hideo looked weakly up at me. "You know… what will happen… when you kill me, Takahari."

"I'll take that chance. Goodbye, outcast." I swung my katana, and Hideo Suzuki's head bounced away, while a fountain of blood gushed from his severed neck.

I whipped the blade through the air, shaking loose the blood, and sheathed it. "What did he mean?" Rose asked.

I stared at the corpse. "When a werewolf dies, he becomes a vampire. That's why my father didn't kill him. Because of this, one day I'll have to deal with him again, and he won't be this easy. But it had to be done." I looked at Rose. "Why did you insist on helping? You never interfere if it's not your problem, and this problem wouldn't have effected anyone else for a long time yet."

She simply looked at me. "I think you know."

_I suppose so… Some things, no matter how deep you bury them, always come back to the surface… But it never occurred to me that Rose felt the same. Of course, for millennia she thought Zieg, her fiancé, dead, and now he's changed beyond recognition. She abandoned her love long ago._ I slowly nodded. "I guess so." _Man, Ryan and Karen are never gonna let me live this down. Of course, if they say anything, I'll simply kill them. Fortunate that neither of us is the emotional type._

Rose put a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

I breathed deeply. "Yeah. We've got souls to free."

We climbed the stairs to the top of the Tower, to the walkway connecting the seven smaller towers. There were only four we needed to check; of the others, Shirley had already left, Zieg was still alive, and Rose was with me.

I felt uneasy, as we walked. I again had the feeling we were being watched, but this felt different. Curious, rather than malevolent.

There was a soft voice nearby. "So you are the vampire hunter, Ian Takahari." I spun around. A youthful-looking female vampire stood there. "There's no need for that," she said, as I reached for my sword. "We mean no harm."

"You're a vampire. That makes you a threat." I had hunted their kind for years, ever since I first encountered Draco von Schneider.

"Yet you have a vampire with you, don't you? Not all vampires are what you think. Those of this coven don't drink the blood of humans; only animals. Can you really fault us, when we are not vampires by choice?"

I nodded grudgingly. "Point. I suppose von Schneider turned you?"

The vampire nodded. "Yes. Realizing what we had become, we fled here, and established this coven. But we are older than you think; we are from your world, originally. But the barriers between the two worlds are easily permeable, and centuries ago we came here. There are more of us now than there once were, as some have joined us by choice since then, since vampires are immortal. But we are not the kind you hunt, Takahari. Any who violate our rules are put to death." She glanced at the towers we were heading for. "But you are here on business. Be about it; all we ask is that you not forget us. We don't wish to be hunted any longer."

"When we return to our comrades, I'll send one of them to you. Kenji Okamura is also a vampire hunter, but he can't exactly hunt them any longer when he is one. Till we meet again."

The vampire nodded and left, while Rose and I continued to the tower that had once belonged to Damia, the Blue-Sea Dragoon.

Once within, I was startled by the appearance of the room. It was as if we had gone back eleven thousand years; the tower appeared not to have changed since Damia's death, all those years ago.

There was a flash, and Damia herself appeared before us. "She looks young," I said to Rose, voice low.

"Yes," she replied. "She was fifteen back then, younger than Meru. Half-human, half-mermaid, she matured faster than full humans, and fought well."

"I wish we didn't have to do this."

"But we do." Rose stepped forward. "Damia… do you remember me?"

The girl looked up. "Rose? Of course. It hasn't been long."

Rose sighed. "Then you don't remember…"

"Remember what?"

I walked forward. "The battle of Kadessa," I said softly.

Memory apparently returned to Damia then. "That's right… I'm dead, aren't I? And you're here to send me on?"

Rose nodded, looking relieved that Damia understood. "Yes. I'm sorry."

"I know. But it must be done." Damia held up her hammer. "Let's go."

The battle was mercifully short. My blade cleaved through the handle of the hammer, then Rose's rapier pierced Damia's heart.

"Rose… thank you. Will you be there?"

"Someday, Damia. But there are things I must attend to."

"I know. Goodbye, Rose…" There was another flash, and then the room was just an empty old ruin.

We headed for Kanzas's tower next. This, I was looking forward to; anyone who took that much pleasure in killing did not belong in our world.

I didn't bother speaking when we entered. I simply drew my blade and attacked. He hadn't practiced in eleven thousand years, so it took exactly two moves to defeat him: I chopped once to relieve him of his hands, then pulled back and sliced, decapitating him. 

"Just how skilled were all the people he killed during his lifetime?" I asked Rose.

"Apparently less skilled than you. Most he killed even faster than you killed him." She thought a moment. "The next tower was once Syuveil's. There he studied life, and the matter which concerned him more: death. That's probably what's holding him here. With Mayfil active, Syuveil will have seen a world of darkness ahead of him, a place that has always terrified him. We must send him elsewhere, if we can."

Syuveil was studying his books when we entered. "Rose. It's been a while."

"Yes, it has, Syuveil. How are your studies?"

He sighed. "I have learned all there is to know about what lies ahead of me. The darkness beckons; I do not wish to go."

"That is what has been holding you here?" Syuveil nodded. "Then control your own destiny. Follow the path of light, not dark. You don't have to go to the darkness."

"Then help me. Set me free."

I drew Arashi-Jisan. "Very well, Jade Dragoon. We will set you on the path." I lunged, swinging my katana at his spear. In ninja training, I had fought with and against every edged weapon made, and knew the sword to be the best. A properly sharpened blade would cut right through a spear's haft, leaving the spearman helpless. That was exactly what I was attempting.

But unlike Kanzas, Syuveil's skills had not entirely atrophied with the passing years, and he dodged my strike. But someone who wishes to be defeated usually gets his wish rather quickly, and Rose's rapier appeared through his chest.

"Rose, thank you," he wheezed. "I see… the light…" And he vanished, leaving his chamber as empty, open, dusty, and dead as the others. That only left Belzac, Kongol's predecessor.

Belzac was speaking softly as we entered. He smiled when he saw Rose. "Ah, Rose. You have come. And brought a friend." He didn't appear concerned by the fact that he'd never seen me before.

"Belzac… there isn't much time." Rose said.

He nodded. "Yes. The subjugation of Kadessa will begin soon."

"You don't remember, either." Rose had difficulty speaking. "You're dead, Belzac. All of you."

"Shirley, too!?" Belzac's face took on an expression of horror. "No! I don't believe it!"

He charged me, thus scaring the daylights out of me and showing that there was indeed something more terrifying than a charging Giganto: a charging Golden Dragoon. I cart wheeled out of the way, then shifted to Dragoon form. There was a spell that I wanted to try out.

"Most people don't realize that diamonds also make excellent focusing crystals for lasers. Let me show you how wrong they are! Diamond Cannon!" As the Earth Dragoon, Belzac was weak against magic, and the enormous energy blasted ripped into him, fatally injuring him.

He smiled slightly. "Thank you, Dragoons. Now… I go… to be with Shirley. Farewell." And with his passing, only two of the Dragoons from the Dragon Campaign remained.

Author's note: Two updates in as many days. Fastest I've ever written.

If you're wondering why the Lost Dragoons went down so fast, my reasoning is that their skills wouldn't be in top shape after so many years. Besides which, a real swordfight doesn't take very long.

This chapter's translations: "Temae! Fugiri rakugosha kakushigo" roughly means "You! Dishonorable outcast bastard".

Anyway, read it and let me know what you think. ~Solid Shark


	28. Chapter 28: A Friend Returns

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

Author's note: With this chapter begins a crossover with Castlevania. Given the vampire hunting aspects, I thought it appropriate.

With the lost Dragoons freed and sent on, we had no reason to remain in Vellweb. Rose and I climbed aboard Coolon once more, and headed back to Deningrad, to assure the others that we were indeed still alive.

My fellow ninja were the first to greet us. It seemed Dart had sent them to watch for us, given their skills. "Ian! Rose! You're back!"

I shook my head. "You have a positive talent for stating the obvious, Ryan. Where's Dart and the others?"

"Back at the inn." Ryan paused; glanced at me, then Rose, then back to me.

I silenced him with a glare. _If anyone so much as says one word, I'm going to kill them._

We found Dart outside the inn, waiting for us. "It went well?" he asked.

Rose nodded. "Yes. The lost Dragoons have been freed."

"There are, however, other matters to be dealt with," I said. "I've got a job for you, Kenji. Living in Vellweb now is a coven of vampires. Don't look at me like that," I added, seeing his expression, "these are friendly vampires. I'm sending you to open relations with them because you're a vampire yourself, and, because this battle isn't personal for you. You're the only one I can send there. Okay?"

Kenji nodded slowly. "Sure. And you're right; I'm not the save-the-world type. I tagged along because I had nowhere else to go." He stood. "I'll get some supplies and head off. Good luck."

"Same to you." As he left, I turned back to the others. "Ryan, Karen, there's something else you should know. Rose and I ran into an old 'acquaintance' in Vellweb. Hideo Suzuki."

Karen gasped; Ryan narrowed his eyes. "You mean the guy Dad threw out of the clan a few years back?"

"The same. I killed him, but we will have to face him again sometime."

"Why?"

"For the same reason he was cast out: he was a werewolf, and werewolves become vampires after death. That's why Dad didn't kill him years ago. This time I had no choice."

Karen shook her head. "So there are werewolves, too? I thought creatures like that were just legends."

"Legends often have their basis in truth," Albert said. "Remember the Dragons and Dragoons. They, too, were thought to be legend."

"We ready for Zenebatos?" I asked, ignoring Albert and Karen.

"Yes," Dart replied. "We were just waiting for you two to return."

"Then let's go."

* * *

As we flew toward Zenebatos, my thoughts turned inward. _When all this is over, before I open a dojo at the Shrine, I'm going to return to the places we've been through, on this long trip, and explore more. We're always in and out, staying only as long as necessary. Maybe I'll follow the route we took on our journey, visiting places Dart mentioned, but I never saw. Seles, Hellena, the Limestone Cave… places we visited in the company of our noble knight companion, Lavitz. Lloyd… We need you, but I still do not trust you, and I haven't quite forgiven you for killing Lavitz. When Zieg has been defeated, may we never cross paths again._ I glanced to my right, where Rose sat. We hadn't said anything, but we hadn't tried to hide the change in how we thought, either.

_At least I'll have plenty of time. And how many people get the opportunity to watch an entire world grow?_

* * *

Upon reaching Zenebatos, we headed right for the path to the Signet Sphere, but we found it blocked by a dimwitted magical drone.

"Access to the Signet Sphere by non-Winglies is prohibited by Wingly Article 703." it said.

Meru ran up to it. "But I'm a Wingly!"

"Access to the Signet Sphere by non-Winglies is prohibited by Wingly Article 703," it repeated.

"Didn't Charle say that Wingly magic power was weakening?" Albert asked. "Perhaps you simply no longer have sufficient magic to be recognized by this drone."

Ryan dropped his hand to the grip of his pistol, but I laid a hand on his arm. "Forget it, Ryan. Bullets probably have little effect on its kind. Besides, they'd probably just send another one."

Albert was still thinking. "If this is the Law City, then we should be able to change the law and thus gain access to the Signet Sphere."

Dart nodded. "Good thinking, Albert. Let's go."

The law-changing process was too unremarkable to bother recording; suffice it to say that we succeeded. With the guard drone thus removed, we were able to continue on.

We took an odd flying platform from Zenebatos's entrance to the Great Court of Zenebatos, where things began to get ugly.

We heard a voice, and saw the judge of Zenebatos, still presiding over his court. "You have been found guilty of defying Soa's will," the Judge Nomos said.

"Zieg already has control of it!?" Rose's voice was a mixture of shock and anger.

"You have been sentenced to death. Winged executioners, Kubila, Selebus, Vector, come! Execute the sentence!"

I yanked Arashi-Jisan out its scabbard, noting with a portion of my mind Ryan drawing Kihaku Karatakewari, Karen pulling out Buke-Kontan, and Rose drawing both her rapier and Doragon-Adauchi. I only noticed this peripherally, however, as I had my own concerns. Kubila had chosen to focus on me, and he appeared to have an instant-death attack. I wasn't certain the magic of my ring would react fast enough to such an attack, so was on the defensive. I didn't dare take the time to transform to my Dragoon form.

"Miranda!" Ryan shouted, back-flipping away from Vector. "These things are darkness-based! Use your magic!"

"Right! Star Children!" The light-based magic attack hammered our enemies, giving me the opportunity I needed to take the offensive against Kubila.

Using _kuji_, I created a pair of duplicates of myself, causing a visual blur that confused Kubila as to which was the real me. It was a little trick I'd learned from a Sandoran months before, in Hoax.

In a fast and furious set of sword attacks, the three of me battered Kubila, and then, with the copies vanished, I sliced once and cut off his head.

Unfortunately, Kubila had some kind of dead-man magic, triggered upon his death. It was the instant-death attack I had feared. I fell into darkness for a time. The next thing I knew, Selebus and Vector were both preparing to hit Ryan, assuming that I was dead. I disabused them of the notion, lunging to my feet and cutting Vector entirely in half. Selebus was slain moments later, when Dart's sword appeared through her chest.

The entire battle had taken no more than five minutes, but we were all breathing hard. The executioners the Winglies had come up with were tough customers. Fortunately for us, Dragoons were tougher.

Once more, I felt a cold wind. Zieg was coming, fast. "Come on! We're too late. Zieg is already here!" I ran toward the Signet Sphere, katana at the ready.

We were indeed too late. All that was there was the Moon Dagger, lying on the ground… and the shattered Signet Sphere.

I slammed my fist into the ground, frustrated. _Blast it! If Kubila hadn't nearly killed me, I might have made it in time._

I was shaken out of my fury by laughter. Zieg was floating down from above. "Don't you approve, Ian? Someone like you should admire well-executed destruction."

"I approve of nothing you do, and I don't recall being on a first-name basis with you!" I snatched up the Moon Dagger and hurled it at him, knowing even as I did so that it was futile. Zieg simply caught it and said something ugly-sounding in another language. The Dagger literally melted in his hand.

"Nice try, Takahari. But not quite good enough." He turned to Dart. "The destruction of the world… This is what Shana desires, as well."

Dart glared at him. "You're a liar, Father!" he snarled. "Shana would want nothing of this!"

Zieg merely laughed, then vanished. I lowered my arm. Just before he disappeared, I was about to throw a magic-charged shuriken at him. _Blast it, I wish Alucard was here. He might be able to tell where Zieg went._

Dart slumped in defeat. "Now what? My father has destroyed all but one of the Signets. How can we stop him?"

I walked over. "We can go to Mayfil and protect its Signet." I said softly. "If we could stop Zieg, isn't that worth fighting for? Isn't that worth _dying_ for?" I turned to face everyone. "As long as there is breath in me, I will not let this world be destroyed. As long as there is a chance, I will fight."

Dart slowly got to his feet. "You're right. There is still one Signet left. Let's go!"

* * *

We had to change another law within the city to gain access to the Mayfil teleporter, but it was only a brief delay. We quickly returned to the Zenebatos teleporter chamber. "Are we ready?" Dart asked.

I loosened my blades in their scabbards, then nodded. One by one, we made our final checks and nodded.

"Then it's on to Mayfil." Once again, the world wavered around us.

When it solidified, we were in the scariest place I had ever seen. Mayfil was dark, with mysterious machinery active. Ghosts and monsters were everywhere. "This is it, I guess. There's no turning back." I glanced over at Miranda. She was kneeling, looking weak. "You okay?"

"Mayfil has a powerful effect on White-Silver Dragoons," Rose told me. "She'll be fine."

"Then we go in," Dart said. "There's not a moment to lose."

The journey through Mayfil was dark and frightening, and I will not speak here of some of the horrors we encountered. Suffice it to say that I will not willingly go there again. There are, indeed, worse things than mere death.

Nothing of any real importance occurred until we began to near the end of Mayfil. There we saw a ghost that I had never expected to see. A knight, clad in green and silver, with the insignia of Basil upon his breastplate.

Dart's eyes widened. "Lavitz…?" he whispered.

The ghost of Lavitz came closer. "Dart. Your Majesty. Rose. It's good to see you."

"Lavitz… It's really you?"

Abruptly, Lavitz gripped his head, then ran. "Get away!"

Of course we did no such thing. Something was wrong with our old friend, and we had to help him. When we caught up with him in a nearby room, he had changed dramatically. His torso armor was gone, and he looked angry. Without speaking, he leveled his spear at us.

"Lavitz! No!"

"Dart, wait!" I grabbed his arm. "Something's controlling him. The Lavitz we knew is still in there, but we have to defeat whatever is using him." I drew Arashi-Jisan. "Come out, demon! Show your true form!"

Lavitz screamed again, as something came away from his back. As I had thought, it was a demon. "So you found out! I'm not letting him go!"

Face twisted in fury, Dart advanced, sword drawn. "Who are you!?"

The demon laughed. "I am Zackwell, and _I_ rule here. You won't leave alive!"

I stalked forward, blade pointed at Zackwell. "You and what army, buddy?"

He laughed again. "I don't need an army. I've got _him!_"

I spun. There was only one _him_ that could have anything to do with me. As I suspected, there was Count Draco von Schneider, my most persistent problem. "Hello, Takahari. We meet again."

"Ian…" a weak voice said. I glanced at the ground. Lavitz was holding something out to me. "Take it…"

I took the object. A whip. _The Vampire Killer? What's it doing here?_ I tucked it into my belt. "Thank you, Lavitz." I turned back to von Schneider. "Hello, Draco. You know, I never did find out why you were here. Did your master, Dracula, send you? Or should I say, _Mathias Cronqvist?_"

Draco's perpetual sneer vanished, and he stared at in shock, even more surprised than when I revealed my Dragoon powers to him. _"How do you know that name?"_

It was my turn to laugh. "That's right, you never knew just why I was in Europe when I first encountered you, did you? It just so happens that two hundred years ago, a Belmont washed ashore in Japan, and was rescued by the Takahari family."

The count paled even more than usual. "No…"

I grinned. "Yes. I am a direct descendant of Leon Belmont, the man your master betrayed a thousand years ago!"

"So you were… after Lord Dracula…"

"The Belmonts asked me for help, and so I went to fulfill Leon Belmont's pledge: 'From this day forward, the Belmont Clan will hunt the night.'" I reached for the whip at my side, noting distantly that while von Schneider and I had been talking, the others had attacked Zackwell, and were beating him to an ectoplasm pulp. "Recognize this?"

Draco's eyes darted to the whip, widened, and he fled, recognizing the one weapon that could kill him without hitting his weak spot.

Laughing, I turned back to the fight with Zackwell. "Now I deal with you." I cracked the whip.

"And what is that, that it would make a vampire flee in terror?" Zackwell questioned.

"This is the Vampire Killer, which has the power to destroy your kind. Now you die." I advanced, striking the foul thing again and again, until he howled and vanished in a puff of red smoke, destroyed by the magic weapon.

I turned to Lavitz. "It's good to see you, my friend. It was a dark day when you died."

"There is still one thing I can do to help you."

_Yes, there is, isn't there, Lavitz? Especially given the spell I found in the Scroll of the Nine Hands._ I smiled slightly, then began a _kuji_ sequence.

I knew it was working when Lavitz's face regained its color, the pale of death replaced by the normal color of life.

Lavitz stopped in his tracks. "What's happening!?"

"Welcome back to the land of the living, my friend."

"What did you just do!?"

"_Kuji_ spell. Unusable under normal circumstances, it restores a ghost to life." I clapped him on the shoulder. "You can leave this horrid place, Lavitz."

The others were staring at me. "Why didn't you do that back at Hellena?" Dart finally asked.

"Couldn't. Like I said, it only works under certain circumstances. Mayfil, it would appear, has the proper conditions." I picked up Lavitz's spear from where it had dropped. "Take up your spear, Knight of Serdio."

"Thank you, Ian." Lavitz turned, noting our new members. "Mind introducing me?"

"Ah. Of course. Lavitz, this is my sister Karen, who we ran into a few days after your death. She is also the bearer of the Starburst Dragoon Spirit. The girl with the platinum hair is Meru, a Wingly and Blue-Sea Dragoon. Don't mind the Giganto; Kongol is on our side now, and has the Golden Dragoon Spirit. Over there is Miranda, the new White-Silver Dragoon. And that guy is-"

"Lloyd!" Lavitz leveled his spear at the Wingly.

I grabbed his arm. "Lavitz, wait! He's on our side now. I don't like him, and I definitely don't trust him, but right now, we need him. So please, don't stick him just yet?"

He lowered his spear, glaring at Lloyd. "All right. But don't expect me to forget what he did to King Albert, or that he killed me."

"I know. But we have to get moving. Do you know where the Signet Sphere is?"

"Above us. But I don't know how to get there from here."

I half-smiled. "No problem. Ryan, Karen, over here." When they came over, I continued. "I can use a _kuji_ teleportation spell to get us there, but I'm not powerful enough to transport all of us alone. If Ryan, Karen, and I do it together, it should work."

Lavitz raised a hand. "Wait a second, Ian. What happened to Shana?"

I sighed. "Zieg has her. She is the Moon Child, and if we fail in our quest, she will meld with the Virage Embryo and become the God of Destruction, whose sole purpose is to destroy the world."

"What do we do if we're not in time?"

"The only thing we can," I said flatly. "We kill Shana. Or I will, probably. Myself or Rose."

Dart looked at me in despair, but wearily nodded. He couldn't do it himself, but he knew as well as I did the consequences of sentimentality.

I looked up. "If we're through being gloomy, we're ready for teleport. Dart?"

"Let's go."

* * *

After the usual moment of disorientation caused by teleportation, we found ourselves in a large chamber occupied by the final Signet Sphere.

The sight of it apparently gave Dart strength. "We'll end it here!"

There was a flash. "Yes, we'll end it here," Zieg said. "I'll end the world here!" He tossed the Moon Gem.

As it slowly drifted toward the Signet, Dart transformed and leapt at his father. Zieg, however, must have expected it, as Dart was knocked back before he could get in range. "Don't come near me!"

I drew my katana from its shoulder-slung scabbard, then focused my mind on my Dragoon Spirit. "You're going to die, kokuzoku!" I pumped my wings and lunged from the ground, creating a magical barrier to counter whatever it was he had done to Dart.

"Are all of your people this stubborn, Takahari?" Zieg somehow got a spell past my barrier, and I was thrown to the ground. "You're a man from another world, who has no reason to remain here. Why would it matter to you if I destroyed this little world?"

"Rose." I said, just as the Moon Gem struck the Signet Sphere.

Zieg laughed. "Your quest has failed! The God of Destruction will be born, and Soa's plan will be fulfilled!" And he vanished.

The others slumped. "It's over…" Meru moaned.

"We've failed…"

As I heard the others despairing, I slowly stood. "When the clash of swords echo," I began, softly at first, "The journey chasing the past ends, and the journey to know today begins." I gazed at each of them in turn. "One soul seeks another, and pledges their sworn friendship to another. One mystery begets the next, and the doors of fate are opened." I held my Dragoon Spirit out. "You are free to sever the chains of fate that bind you…"

Author's note: Chapter 28 is finished; only two chapters remain. Hope you liked my bringing Lavitz back. I had intended to do that from the very beginning, but if I'd realized how long it was going to take me to get here, I'd have simply kept him alive back in Hellena.

Not much to translate this time; "kokuzoku" means "traitor".

That should about cover things. Read it and let me know what you think. ~Solid Shark


	29. Chapter 29: Ragnorak

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

After I had finished speaking, the others stared at me. "What was that?" Rose asked softly.

"As far as I know, it has no name, but it was written centuries ago by one of my more poetic ancestors. It seemed appropriate."

Dart stood. "You're right. We can still try to head him off at the Moon That Never Sets! We'll stop my father at the source!"

At that moment, Coolon swept through the air toward us. "Do you want to have wings?"

Dart nodded decisively. "Yes. Take us to the Divine Tree!"

* * *

  


Aboard Coolon, the journey to the semi-mythical Divine Tree that was the center of Mille Seseau's crock of a religion took mere minutes from Mayfil.

As the Tree came into view, Rose nudged my arm. "Ian, look."

I glanced at the sky, then took a double take and stared. "Nanigoto okeru za seken… Sono Hisakata Ketsu Konrinzai Kasane…"

The Moon That Never Sets was finally setting, crashing into the Divine Tree. As it descended, Virages flew from it, surrounding and protecting it.

There shockwave when the Moon struck the Tree was incredible. Dust clouds formed, and we were rocked by turbulence. Then the Virages took note of our presence.

"Dart, we gotta bail! Those Virages are gonna blow us out the sky!" Without waiting for a reply, I grabbed Rose's arm and hurled us off Coolon's back, just in time to avoid being blasted by the first Virage to get in range.

Moments later, Coolon was mortally wounded by the Virage attack and began an uncontrolled descent, with the rest of the group still aboard.

Meanwhile, Rose and I had transformed, and were doing what pilots called trading altitude for airspeed, diving toward the Tree. _Ryan, Karen, everyone… Are Rose and I the only ones left? Is it up to us now?_

Having by now several flight-hours under my belt, I knew enough to flare just before landing, lest I smash into something at a hundred miles per hour. Even so, I hit fairly hard, right next to Coolon's corpse. The landing dazed me for a moment, so I did not at first realize we were not alone.

"Rose! Ian! You made it!" Ryan and the others were just recovering from their own hard landing. "We thought you two fell to death."

I snorted. "You should know better than that, Ryan. I'm not about to let a mere fall kill me." I glanced around. "This place is where life began? Give me a break. It makes about as much sense as the idea that we evolved from monkeys." I saw Miranda begin to protest and continued. "I know it's practically your national religion, Miranda, but do you really think that humans were created by the same so-called deity that is now trying to destroy you? What a crock." I returned to human form. "Come on, let's climb. It's a long way up."

* * *

  


The only thing of note as regards the climb was that Miranda refused to say a word to me and glared constantly. I didn't particularly care. As far as I was concerned, the only way in which this differed from her normal attitude was that her irritation had a target.

It was near the top that things got interesting. Somewhere along the way, we had apparently awakened an insect from its cocoon hibernation, and it was none too happy. It also appeared to be very large, very strong, and very poisonous.

I drew my katana. "A fortune's worth of ancient weaponry," I began, taking a slice at it, "and I'd give it all for one stinkin' can of bug spray."

Ryan grinned. "You mean you didn't bring any? No ninja should be without bug spray. What if you have to hide near a hornet's nest?"

"Ahh, just shut up. We've got to kill this thing."

"Final Burst!" Dart's spell caught me completely by surprise, and I had to jump out the way.

"Thanks a lot, Dart," I muttered. "Next time why don't you just ask me to move, okay?"

Dart's attack finished off that form of the bug, but it promptly turned into something even uglier, forcing us to try and kill it again.

It was easily disposed of with a few sword strikes, but it once again evolved. "This is getting ridiculous!" I turned to Ryan. "Okay, I'm getting tired of this. Give me that bug spray you mentioned. Maybe that'll kill it."

I didn't even bother to catch it when Ryan tossed it to me. I simply sliced off the cap, which shot the entirety of its pressurized contents directly at the insect. It withered and died within moments.

I stared. "We go to all that trouble, and all we needed was _that?_"

Albert laughed. "Sometimes it's the simplest solutions that we overlook, Ian. What matters is that it's dead, and we can move on."

"Over here," Dart called. "I think this leads into the Moon itself."

_Soon, Zieg. Soon I'll fulfill my promise to kill you. I hope you're ready._

* * *

  


After the bizarre mechanism that gave us access to the Moon's interior, things got even stranger. We appeared to be in a forest of some kind, which struck me as illogical.

Miranda's reaction was rather different, one of recognition. "I know this place…" she whispered.

Haschel glanced at her. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head. "I've… got something I need to check. I won't be long." Miranda ran off, deeper into the woods.

"I guess we wait for her," Dart said.

"I guess so." I dropped easily into a meditation position. A ninja was never bored, never impatient. In times when waiting is required, no one waits better than a ninja.

Miranda was subdued when she returned, and refused to discuss her experience. Whatever had happened, though, had affected her deeply. That much I could see.

Things became progressively stranger the farther into the Moon we went, culminating in a place that looked eerily familiar, though I couldn't identify it.

"This is Bale!" Albert exclaimed. "From twenty years ago, if I'm not mistaken. Why is it here?"

I narrowed my eyes. "The Moon is recreating places from our pasts. Miranda's forest, and now Bale from twenty years ago." I paused. "Wait a minute. Twenty years… Albert, didn't Doel murder your father around this time?"

Before he could reply, Haschel jerked in shock. "It can't be…" He abruptly ran off, following a girl he'd seen.

"Haschel-" Dart started after him.

I grabbed his arm. "Dart, let him go. This is something he has to do on his own." I didn't explain; I couldn't, knowing what I knew. I didn't know how Dart would react if he knew that the girl Haschel had seen was Claire, his long-lost daughter… and Dart's mother. This was a mere image, and we couldn't afford to have our leader torn up at a time like this.

When Haschel returned, he appeared depressed, but, at the same time, relieved. I suspected he'd finally accepted that Claire was gone for good. Now he could move on with his life. The twenty-year search was over.

With Haschel's return, we were able to move on, leaving the ersatz Bale via an odd portal. From there, we found ourselves walking on what seemed to be clouds.

I saw movement in the corner of my eye. When I turned, my heart skipped a beat. _Dragon. That's not good._ What was worse, while I'd never seen it, I thought I recognized it from Rose's description. "Rose, is that…"

Rose looked, and her eyes widened. "Michael…?"

The Black-Burst Dragon, Michael, dead for a thousand years, was flying toward us. And he wasn't looking friendly. I jerked back. "I don't think he recognizes you, Rose. Run!"

My warning came too late. Michael unleashed a flurry of black laser shots, blowing us through various holes in the ground beneath us.

The blow knocked me out, and I fell, unconscious…

* * *

  


When I came to, I found myself lying in a forest with a castle in the distance. Ryan and Lloyd were nearby.

"Ian, you're awake!" Ryan walked over and helped me to my feet. "I was wondering when you were going to. Look, I know this isn't from my past, and Lloyd says he's never been here, so I thought you might recognize it."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I do. And you're not gonna like it. This is the Forest of Eternal Night, circa 1094 A.D. That castle belonged to Walter Bernhard, a vampire. And I think we're going to have to go there to face our test."

"Forest of Eternal Night…? What are you talking about, Ian?"

"In 1094, this forest, located in Romania, was in constant darkness. It was later discovered that the cause was the Ebony Stone, a great treasure of the vampires. What matters right now, though, is that that castle is almost certainly occupied by a vampire at present. That, no doubt, is why the Moon arranged for us to be in this particular place. Now let's go." I glanced at the other occupant of the clearing. "You, too, Lloyd."

The Forest was eerily silent as we approached the castle. This did not surprise me, but the absence of activity within the castle itself, even the Pagoda of the Misty Moon, was troubling. Perhaps whatever intelligence manipulated things within the Moon wanted us rattled, or perhaps our trial was going to be sufficient.

The seal on the throne room was broken, as I had anticipated, but the sight that greeted us from the throne itself was a surprise.

"Well, well, well… you look surprised, Takahari," Count Draco von Schneider said. "I suppose you were expecting a facsimile of Walter Bernhard, Mathias Cronqvist, or perhaps even that upstart Joachim Armster? But no, you have me to deal with. And I promise you that this will be our final encounter."

Arashi-Jisan was in my hand in an instant. "I know, Count. I have no intention of letting you live. You've been a thorn in my side long enough!"

Draco stood, drawing Soul Slayer. "Arrogant upstart."

Before either of us could move, Ryan leapt into the fray, swinging Soul Cleaver. The blade clashed against its evil twin, once, twice, and then a third blow shattered it. "Okay, Ian, he's all yours!"

With a howl of rage, von Schneider tossed away the empty hilt, then drew his broadsword. "You're going to die, Takahari!"

I smiled coldly, then lunged, swatting his sword away and getting in a glancing blow to his shoulder. "Yoroshii myouri, koumori!"

The count spat out something vile in German, then leapt over me, trying to get behind me.

I spun, lashing out with my foot in a spinning kick that knocked him flying. "This is the end for you, kakushigo. This is your last day of life, and the beginning of the end for your foul kind. Accept your fate."

"Never!" He climbed back to his feet, then threw a dagger at my arm, which I swatted away with ease. "One day vampires will prevail over humans, and the only way to survive us will be to become us!"

"There's no room in my utopia for your kind, either, vampire." Lloyd's unexpected contribution to the conversation came at the same time as his sword cutting through von Schneider's neck. "Takahari, now! Through the heart!"

I yanked a silver stake off my belt, kept there for this very purpose, and threw it into von Schneider's chest.

I raised my arm to protect my face as the vampire's body exploded, finally ending one of the longest reigns of terror in human history. The last vampire of Earth, other than Dracula himself, was gone.

* * *

  


It took a little while, but we finally regrouped back in the image of Bale, to find that Kongol, Albert, Dart, and Rose had gone through their own trials in our absence.

When we were back in the inn, Ryan glanced my way. "Okay, Ian, it's time for some explanations. Now, we know that vampires are real, after von Schneider and his ilk, but I thought for sure that Dracula was just a myth. And just who are the Belmonts?"

I sat back. "Long story, Ryan. Let's start with the year 1094 A.D. The year I spoke of earlier. At the time, in Romania, there were two leaders of knights that were said to be greater in battle than any other. They were Leon Belmont, and Mathias Cronqvist. Now, the year before, Cronqvist's wife had died, and in this particular year, Belmont's fiancé, Sara, was kidnapped by Walter Bernhard, and Leon gave up his title to hunt down Walter and save Sara. Unfortunately, Sara did not survive, and Leon had a bigger shock after killing Walter: Mathias Cronqvist, his best friend, had orchestrated it all, to obtain Walter's Ebony Stone. Using the other great vampire treasure, the Crimson Stone, Mathias turned himself into a vampire, in his rage at his wife's death. He wished to live forever, and in time became Dracula."

"What's that have to do with later members of the Belmont family?"

"After Mathias fled and Leon killed his minion, Leon Belmont swore to fight Dracula till the end. 'From this day forward, the Belmont Clan will hunt the night.' Since then, every time Dracula has resurrected, there has been a Belmont to fight him."

Albert nodded. "And this is why you hate vampires so much. Both your families have fought them for a long time."

I stared grimly at the ceiling. "There's more to it than that."

The others knew better than to ask. When I spoke like that, it was something I didn't want to discuss. It was something even Ryan didn't know, something that no living soul knew about. And I intended to keep it that way.

* * *

  


We moved on soon after that. It was time to finish this, and the never-to-be-sufficiently-accursed Moon seemed to be through with testing us, so it didn't take us long to traverse the surreal landscape.

We were wrong about no more tests. Meru had to go on alone, being the only flight-capable member of our party, and open the way for us to cross the bottomless pit.

When she returned, it was evident that she, too, had been tested. But from there, our way was clear. No obstacles stood between us and the final area of this infernal place.

It wasn't long after that that we faced the final opponent between us and Zieg: a Super Virage, the same sort we had faced in Kadessa. It had killed me there, and only Miranda's presence had kept it from being permanent. But this time, I was going to smash it.

I slowly flexed my muscles. "Dart, I'll handle this. It's payback time."

Dart started to protest. "Ian, you can't handle this alone-"

Rose interrupted him. "Let him go. He knows what he's doing." She glanced at me. "Be careful."

"Always am." Arashi-Jisan leapt into my hand. "Hon'in gozen yuki dzuki enjoi kono." I raised my blade to a guard position, then stood there, waiting.

When the Super Virage finally attacked, I leapt sideways, then dropped a powerful blow on its head. "Too slow." I followed up by jumping over it, twisting around midair and slicing it in what passed for its back. "Over here!"

It turned, trying to hit me with its arm, and I casually backflipped out of the way. "Time to end this." I left the ground in a flying leap, landed on the Super Virage's head, then jumped high into the air and held my katana out.

The fall was of sufficient speed to allow me to slice all the way through its body. When I determined that it was indeed dead, I calmly stepped back. "Let's go."

* * *

  


We didn't have to go much farther to find Zieg. He was standing before what I assumed to be the Virage Embryo itself… and Shana was floating near it, as well.

"Father!" Dart shouted.

"You're too late," Zieg said contemptuously. "As always."

"Not necessarily," Ryan said. "We can still kill you."

Zieg laughed. "Not with this on my side!" He gestured… and the Red-Eye Dragoon Spirit lifted itself from Dart's neck and floated over to Zieg.

Rose jerked. "What!? The Dragoon Spirit still recognizes you!?"

"I was the original bearer, and a Dragoon Spirit never forgets a master."

Rose pointed her sword at Zieg's throat. "You don't deserve to use that."

"And what do you intend to do about it?" he asked, his voice mocking.

Dart pulled something out of a pocket. "How about this!?" He tossed the Psychedelic Bomb X, the weapon Savan had created, at his father.

It did nothing. "Is that the best you can do?" Zieg taunted.

"One way or another, you're not surviving this encounter, Zieg," I growled. "You're gonna die here."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" Zieg raised the Dragoon Spirit. "I think not." Once in full Dragoon armor, he threw his sword in the air, in a maneuver I found all too familiar. "Flame Shot!"

I had no time to guard or dodge, and the fiery blast of magic struck me in the chest, flinging me into the wall. "Ugh!" I dropped, dazed, and my sword fell from my hand.

As I tried to recover, I watched the ensuing battle. Dart, too, was forced into a more passive role, since, without his Dragoon Spirit, he was unable to reach Zieg's altitude.

Meru was doing the most damage, with her water-based magic. Albert had cast his Rose Storm spell to protect us, while Miranda was tossing in the occasional healing spell. Other offensive spells were hitting Zieg from time to time as well, from the other Dragoons, but he was apparently able to take a lot of punishment. The battle wasn't going well.

I managed to push myself to my knees, then slowly stood. I tossed away my cape, then unbuckled my armor and dropped it. I then pulled the Masamune off my belt and set it aside.

As I approached, Zieg was attacking Rose, driving her out of Dragoon form and into the ground. "Goodbye, Black Monster."

"No!" As Zieg raised his sword for the killing blow, I somersaulted through the air, bringing Arashi-Jisan down through his wrists, cutting off his hands. "I won't allow you to do this!" I kicked him back, then, as he stared at me in shock, I reared back and swept my blade through his neck.

I twirled the katana through the air and dropped it back into its scabbard even as Zieg's head bounced away from his shoulders. "Soshite dakara itto shimekukuri, Zieg. Just as I promised you in Vellweb."

I turned and took Rose's hand, helping her to her feet. "I'm sorry, Rose. I wish it hadn't ended like this."

She shook her head. "You did what you had to do. That wasn't the Zieg I knew long ago. Now it's over, and we survived."

"It's not over yet, human."

We spun around. A wraith-like apparition was rising from Zieg's body. It looked almost like… I whipped my sword out once more. "Melbu Frahma!" He had no physical form, but I knew those eyes from Rose's description.

Frahma's spirit laughed. "Pitiful human! I sealed my essence in the Dragoon Spirit eleven thousand years ago. When the Black Monster attacked Neet, that foolish human tried to use his Dragoon Spirit, and it was then that my moment came, and I took control of him!"

Rose was actually shaking. "Then- Zieg was-"

I felt the flames of fury growing in my heart. "I killed the father of one of my closest friends, and the fiancé of Rose, for _nothing!?_In all my years of killing, I have _never_killed an innocent, and now you've forced me to kill _him_, of all people, for _no reason!?"_

Frahma laughed once more. "Now I merge with the Flesh of the God of Destruction! Now I complete my vengeance!" As the tentacles reaching for Shana's inert body waved, Melbu Frahma took her place, and there was a flash. "Now I have acquired all! Now the world will be remade as I see fit!"

I snarled. "You _monster!"_

Dart stood from where he knelt, next to his father's body. He had reclaimed the Red-Eye Dragoon Spirit. "You'll pay for my father's death!"

"Inferior humans! Accept your fate!"

I raised my Dragoon Spirit. "All that time ruling them, Frahma, and you never learned the most important thing about us humans: we never give in to a fate we have not chosen ourselves!" I focused. _Diamond Dragon, I call upon your Spirit to serve me, as was foretold in the Prophecy. Aid me in defeating this abomination!_

I was the first to transform, but the others weren't far behind, with the exceptions of Lavitz and Lloyd, since they did not have Dragoon Spirits at all. But they were both formidable fighters, particularly with Lloyd's Dragon Buster on our side.

"Let's go! Explosion!"

"Rose Storm!"

"Death Dimension!"

"Star Children!"

"Galaxy's End!" Karen's spectacularly devastating, and completely unexpected, spell did extreme damage, destroying the nearby tentacles and seemed to finish of Melbu Frahma himself, but, as I suspected, things simply became more surreal, as Frahma changed into another form and the area around changed drastically.

_The First Generation,_a silent voice seemed to say.

"What now?" I asked rhetorically. "I guess it doesn't matter. Diamond Cannon!"

"Time's Arrow!" Ryan struck at the new form with a spell that he had evidently kept in reserve for this, our final battle in our quest that began months before.

"Thunder God attack!"

"Meteor Strike!"

"Diamond Dust!"

Dart reeled back from a strike that looked remarkably similar to the Divine Dragon's cannon, then hit Frahma with another spell of his own. "Final Burst!"

With that smashed, Melbu Frahma changed three more times, the environment becoming more surreal each time.

_The Fourth Generation._

"Who keeps saying that?" Karen wondered aloud. "Most battles like this don't have play-by-play like Earth's sports do."

"Makes more sense for this, though, doesn't it?" Ryan commented. "Sports are boring; I'll take a fight to the death anytime."

"Keep your mind on the job, ninja! Don't get distracted or you'll get dead." I used a _kuji_lightning spell on the current variety of God of Destruction.

That form was taken out easily enough, and things changed once more.

_The Sixth Generation._

This was clearly the final form, Melbu Frahma's last-ditch effort to stop us. It also forced us out of Dragoon form; it seemed to have the same magic as the Dragon Block Staff.

"I guess it's physical attacks from here on," Dart said. "Blazing Dynamo!"

"Shun Goku Satsu!"

"Demon's Dance!"

"Flower Storm!"

"Omni Sweep!"

Gradually, we whittled away at him, taking the occasional hits but nothing serious. At last, it appeared that we had won, as Melbu Frahma began to explode.

Dart swept down to where Shana lay. "Shana!"

She began to stir. "Dart?"

Haschel grunted, and Miranda cried out. Frahma coming back for another attack.

"How dare you… Inferior humans cannot outshine me, a god!" With his one regenerated hand, he sent a blast of magic at Dart and Shana.

I landed near Rose. "You know what we have to do."

She nodded. "Yes."

"Then let's finish it. Diamond Cannon!"

When Melbu's hand exploded, Dart turned. "Ian! Rose! Get out of there!"

I walked over to where I'd left Migi-no-te, picked it up, and threw it. "Take it, Ryan! Keep it safe."

Ryan caught it, but shook his head. "We're all getting out of this together!"

"Get out of here, Ryan! Save yourself. We'll handle this."

"No…"

"Takahari, wait." I turned, surprised at Lloyd's call. "Catch!" He tossed me the Dragon Buster. "Good luck!"

"Same to you, Lloyd. Maybe I'll see you after this. But in case I don't make it… thanks." I turned away. "Let's go, Rose." We took off again, adding our power to the Dragon Buster to increase its size.

As the others took wing, fleeing the collapsing Moon, we brought the Dragon Buster through Melbu Frahma's body.

I held onto Rose as Frahma died. Despite my words to Lloyd, I knew we'd never make it out in time. _And so here ends my quest, with Rose, as it should be. Goodbye, everyone._ And the world went dim…

Author's note: Obviously, this is not actually the end of the two. But that will be dealt with in the 30th and final chapter. Now you see how I intended to reconcile this with the game's ending: I killed off Zieg. Of course, he died in the game, too, so this was merely a little ahead of schedule.

The sequel will be started soon, so you won't have to wait long to see the further adventures of the Diamond Dragoon.

The translations for this chapter: "Nanigoto okeru za seken" is "What in the world"; "Sono Hisakata Ketsu Konrinzai Kasane" translates as "The Moon That Never Sets"; "Hon'in gozen yuki dzuki enjoi kono" means "I'm going to enjoy this".

I've also revised some earlier chapters; I noted some inconsistencies within the story and fixed them.

These will be the final author's notes; the ending I'm planning for the final chapter will be better left as the end of the update. Please read it and let me know what you think. ~Solid Shark


	30. Chapter 30: Epilogue

I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, Count Draco von Schneider, and Kenji Okamura

_Death isn't as long as I thought._ That was my first thought when I regained consciousness. _Was it all… a dream?_ I looked around. _No, it wasn't… Did we win?_ I was lying on the ground near a lake, battered but alive. Rose was nearby.

I slowly stood, stunned that I was even still alive. My left arm seemed to be broken, but other than that, I was largely intact. The same could not be said for my equipment; all that remained of Arashi-Jisan was the hilt and a handful fragments strewn about.

I limped over to Rose and helped her to her feet. "You okay?"

"Ian? We're alive?" She seemed as surprised as I was. "You're hurt."

"I'll be all right. Where are we, anyway? I don't remember anywhere in Endiness like this." As I spoke, I opened a pouch on my belt with my good arm and began to splint my left arm with its contents.

"If I'm not mistaken, we're not far from where the Divine Tree was. It's destruction seems to have created that lake." Rose indicated the pieces of tree scattered about. "I think we succeeded."

"Looks that way. But where are the others? Unless we were out of it longer than I thought, they should still be around here somewhere."

Rose was searching the sky. "There they are. Above the crater rim."

I squinted; my eyes still weren't working right. "I see them. Let's see if we can get to them. Can't leave them thinking we're dead."

* * *

It took nearly an hour on foot, but the group appeared to be in no hurry and we were able to reach the crater rim before they left.

"Hey, Ryan! Mind giving me a hand here?"

Ryan looked down and gaped in astonishment. "Ian!? You're alive!?"

"Yeah, I am. Rose, too. Now you guys gonna help us out of here or not?"

"Uh, right." Ryan helped us out of the crater. "How did you get out of there? We all thought you were dead."

"Your guess is as good as mine, Ryan. I haven't the slightest idea how we survived. Even then, we didn't get out unscathed." I indicated my arm.

"I'd better take a look at that…"

"No need, Ryan. Look." I took off the splint, then flexed my arm. No sign of the break.

His eyes widened. "What the… How did you…"

I laughed humorlessly. "Maybe I'll tell you sometime. It doesn't matter now. Let's just get out of here."

"Yeah. Oh," he added, "here's your sword." He handed me Migi-no-te. "It made it out alright."

"Good. Arashi-Jisan was shattered in the explosion." I tucked the old weapon in my belt. "So where are we going from here?"

"Albert suggested we head back to Bale, at least for now."

"Then let's go. Our long quest is over."

* * *

I passed out during the journey back to Bale; I regenerate quickly, but that, combined with our recent trials, meant I was dead tired.

I awoke on a bed in one of the guest rooms in Indels Castle. Albert and Rose were standing near the bed.

"Finally awake, I see," Albert said. "We were beginning to wonder. How do you feel?"

"Like I slept for a week after being hit by a moon." I carefully sat up. "What are you doing here, anyway? Now that we've returned, don't you have affairs of state to manage?"

He shrugged. "Minister Noish is still handling things admirably. Besides, sometimes a friend takes precedence."

I slowly got to my feet. "Get back to work, Albert. I'm fine now."

"If you're sure…"

"Get going, Your Majesty. I'll be alright."

After Albert left, Rose turned to me. "You're sure you're recovered, Ian?"

I grinned. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just exhausted, that's all. Saving the world will do that to you."

"So where do we go now? To Shirley's Shrine?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. I've a few more things to take care of, one of them right here in the castle." I smiled. "Coming with me?"

"Anywhere."

"Then come on. I need to see Albert in more formal settings."

* * *

By the time we reached the throne room, I was once again in my comfortable old ninja gear, minus Arashi-Jisan itself. In its place, my Masamune was tucked through my belt.

The rest of the group was there, even Miranda, who, by then, I would have expected to have returned to Mille Seseau to resume her duties as First Sacred Sister.

Albert stood as we entered, Rose a step behind me. "Ian! It's good to see you up and around."

I nodded, then knelt before him, drew Migi-no-te, and set it down at his feet. "Your Majesty, I swear fealty to you, and pledge to serve you as you require, until death and beyond."

Though clearly surprised, Albert nodded gravely. "Rise, then, Knight of Serdio. Take your sword."

I stood, tucking the blade back in its scabbard. "How shall I serve you, Your Majesty?"

"Oh, stop being so formal. I get enough of that in Court affairs." Albert's expression indicated that he wasn't too fond of political infighting, either. "Anyway, the best way you can 'serve' me right now is to do what you originally planned. But until the Shrine has been sufficiently restored, I suggest you relax. Feel free to stay in the castle, or travel around, until you're needed once more."

I mock-bowed. "Thank you, Albert. Rose and I will be revisiting the places our long journey took us to, and others that I wasn't around to see, like Seles." I frowned. "Which reminds me. Whatever happened to Hellena Prison?"

Albert grinned. "It seems that your brother gave my weapon's designers the formula for gunpowder before we left for Tiberoa. While we were in Mille Seseau, Noish had several tons of it set in the lower levels of the prison."

"Ouch." That much gunpowder probably blew Hellena sky high. I turned my attention to another matter. "So where are you going, Dart?"

The young mercenary-turned-Red-Eye Dragoon smiled. "Shana and I are returning to Seles to help rebuild. Perhaps we'll see you there."

"I, of course, am staying right here," Lavitz said. "I've been given a second chance to protect my king and country."

We clasped forearms, knight to knight. "Try not to get killed again, eh?"

"Kongol and I are going to Rouge," Haschel said. "It's time I went back, now that I know what happened to Claire."

"I'm going to Lohan with Guaraha," Meru said. "Serdio's an exciting place."

Miranda smiled, for the first time I could recall. "I have to return to Deningrad. My sisters and Queen Theresa must be worried. Oh, Shana," she added, taking something from around her neck. "This should be with you."

As Miranda held out the Dragoon Spirit of the White-Silver Dragon, a bright light filled the room. When it faded, there were two Dragoon Spirits glowing white, the one Miranda was holding, and one the floated over to Shana.

Rose inhaled sharply. "What is this? The Dragoon Spirit has chosen _two_ masters?"

Shana stood still, stunned, as the new Dragoon Spirit came to rest around her neck. "I'm… I'm a Dragoon again?"

"Welcome back, Shana. Congratulations."

* * *

We have gone our separate ways now. Only Albert, Lavitz, Rose, and I remain at the castle, and the two of us will leave soon.

My madcap identical twin and our sister have gone to help with the reconstruction of Shirley's Shrine. By the time Rose and I return, it should be ready.

We may have separated at last, but I feel certain that this will not be the final journey this generation of Dragoons make together. As long as there are people there will be war, and as long as there is war, the Dragoons will be needed.

As Rose and I prepare to set out, I leave this chronicle in the Indels Castle library. And so here ends

The Story of the Diamond Dragoon

__

Ian Takahari


End file.
